Dis: I don't own LOT
Ages: Sara was born Dec 25th 1987 (xmas fics anyone?!) and so is 28 years old... Leonard runs into his younger self in 1975 (I'm just tossing out that he was 5 there, so born in 1970? So he's roughly 45... Miller is 43 in real life and Dominic (Mick) is 46 in RL) so yeah there is an age gap there (17 yrs) but hell age ain't nothing but a number right? Both are old and mature enough where it isn't weird... At least not to me.
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The city was similar but different at the same time. Sara was having a hard time walking the streets of her childhood home and seeing how it had fallen. The small cafe she ate breakfast at with her dad every Sunday had its windows smashed in, the once polished red booths now nothing but scorched metal. The music store her and Laurel would go to after to pick out any new CD's they'd liked at the time gone in an explosion of brick and mortar.
"How did this happen?" asked Sara, a hint of sadness in her voice. "How did this city fall?"
"It was a combination of things," Answered Dinah. Her daughter. Sara was having a hard time processing that she had a daughter with Leonard Snart in the future. Sure she teased him about staring at her ass, and sure she'd asked him to dance on a whim at one time and he'd stated his preference to watch but... He honestly wasn't her type. He was a bad boy, yes, but... He was hard to figure out sometimes with his serious and often cold persona, and normally she didn't get involved with someone she couldn't read like a worn book. Her fingers had to get familiar with their pages, bookmarking moments and taking in every word that was both spoken and not. Leonard was still a mystery to her, and even looking at him now in her peripheral she still couldn't get a read off of him. He was tense, she could determine that much, with the set of his jaw and the way his temple was pulsing. There was an internal storm happening and Sara actually could feel sympathy for the guy.
She was feeling messed up too.
"Like what?" asked Jax.
"Damien Darhk and the organization he works for known as the H.I.V.E."
"We really shouldn't be talking about this," said Rip. "Us being here is already messing with the time line."
"Isn't this what you had us come together to do?" asked Kendra. "Save our homes from destruction?"
"Did you know?" asked Sara, stopping in her steps to whirl on Rip. "Did you know this was supposed to happen?"
"Sara-"
"Answer me!" she shouted, fists clenched. "You showed us what would happen, if we didn't stop Savage, but nothing was said about Darhk. Did you bring me along, knowing full well my home would be destroyed, just to protect yours?"
Rip didn't answer, but Sara could see it in his eyes. Guilt.
"You sonuvabitch," spat Sara before clocking him on the jaw, the crack of her knuckles meeting his flesh not as satisfying as she wanted it to be. "You played me!"
"You played us," said Ray. "This is my home, too."
"What else have you lied about?" asked Kendra in an accusatory tone.
"I didn't know this would happen," said Rip with a groan. "Just that stopping Savage could have other ramifications."
"This is more than just a ramification," said Snart, speaking for the first time since the announcement that Dinah was his daughter. "I don't like being lied to, Hunter, and I gave you a free pass the first time... But this time?" Snart brought out his cold gun and aimed it at Rip. "This time I'm far from amused."
"Everyone just calm down," said Connor.
"Shut it Arrow-Wannabe," growled Mick, joining Leonard and drawing his heat gun.
"This isn't the place to do this," said Dinah. "Please, we need to get to Haven."
"Sorry, Kid, but we're not going anywhere," said Snart. "At least not with him."
Rip was about to argue, to plead his case, when a flash of red and yellow whirled around the group. Suddenly, both Leonard and Mick were without weapons and Leonard shouted in frustration as the blur stopped, a weapon in each hand.
"FLASH!" shouted Snart. "Worst possible timing, as always!"
"Leonard Snart..." An older Barry Allen stood before them. He wore a similar suit but had it more filled out, and around his eyes were lines showing his age and fatigue. "It's been a long time, friend."
"We're not friends," huffed Snart.
"Canary, Arrow: I heard you ran into some company..." Barry saw Kendra and grinned. "Kendra... Nice to see you."
"Barry..." Kendra stepped forward, smiling brightly. "It feels good to see a familiar face here. Wait... Sorry! I said your name!"
"It's okay... Almost everyone here knew..." Barry smirked at the confused Mick. "Almost everyone. You all know you can trust me, right? I know you all have a lot of questions, and we will answer them all, but about two blocks away is a battalion of Deathstroke's men. It could be a fight we win, but I was hoping to keep your arrival secret... At least for now. Haven isn't far from here."
"Okay," said Kendra, taking the initiative and walking forward. "I trust you...Barry."
Kendra, taking that first step, put the group in line. Leonard and Mick were the last of the group to decide to go forward. Leonard and Sara both were keeping a healthy distance apart from each other, as well as away from Rip: whose jaw was already starting to swell.
"Welcome to Haven," said Canary, opening a rusted door.
"This dump?" asked Mick, looking unimpressed.
The group filed inside and as soon as the door closed they were transported. Each person not used to the teleportation stumbled and felt sick to their stomachs. Ray caught Kendra by the shoulders before she fell over while Jax bumped into Sara and muttered a quick apology. Where there once had been nothing but an empty shell of an abandoned building, was now a large space filled with computer monitors and weapon racks.
"Flash-04, Atom-09, Hawkgirl-15, Firestorm-17, Green Arrow-78, Black Canary-75..." said an automated voice. "Alert, unauthorized personal-"
"Overide-10742," said a female voice, and many heads turned to see a woman slowly make her way around the computers. The woman was sitting in a wheel chair, muscled arms easily maneuvering around an area that was clearly hers. Blue eyes behind framed glasses crinkled warmly as she blew a stray red curl out of her eyes. "We've been expecting you. Welcome to Haven."
"Who are you?" asked Ray. "I was expecting... Someone else."
"The name is Oracle... But you can call me Barbara."
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"So let me get this straight," said Jax. "Damien Darhk did all this?"
"With some help," said Oracle. "H.I.V.E. was headed by a woman named Queen Bee." Barbara clicked a button on her hand-held remote and an image of the woman popped up. "She has the mental capability to manipulate people into doing what she wants. Especially men. Darhk was just a lackey who did her bidding along with Deathstroke. They tore apart Star City from the inside, and before we knew it, this city turned into a town that makes Gotham City look good. Everyone on the naughty list resides here. Star City is now the center of all criminal activity."
"And the police has done nothing to stop them?" asked Ray.
"Bee is in their pockets... And their heads," answered Connor. "Now we just try and keep it... Balanced. The Justice League does their best to keep it contained while we try and make things hell for them in here."
"What's the Justice League?" asked Kendra. "Does it have to do with the numbers behind our names?"
"Don't worry, you'll find out... In time," said Barry with a secret smile that had Kendra frowning in confusion. "I don't want to give too much away. What we're telling you now is already making changes. I know the dangers of changing the timeline, trust me, but... Anything is better than this... With everyone we lost..."
"Who?" asked Jax, and before Rip could stop him Barry answered.
"Oliver and I are all who are left of who we all knew together in 2016 save for Thea who is a part of the League and the efforts to stop Bee..."
"Lisa?" asked Snart, and Barry's sad look was answer enough.
"So everyone we know is dead," said Sara, her voice hollow. "Your old team, my family... Everyone... Because of Darhk and this Bee person... Are... Are we dead, too?"
"Don't answer that," said Rip. "We can't know where we stand, it is already enough that you know of Dinah..." Sara and Leonard both shifted at he mention of their daughter's name. "But even so we must be careful. If we are to save Star City, then we must be pristine and exact or things could end up being worse."
"Doesn't get much worse than this," grumbled Sara, just as the automated computer system announced the arrival of one other ally.
"Green Arrow-08."
Everyone turned to stare at the man before them. Older, with a face showing the wear-and-tear a life as a vigilante could create. He looked the same, but also very different, with his longer hair and shaggy beard which covered a good portion of his face.
"Oliver?" asked Sara, stepping forward.
"Sara..." Oliver Queen then looked at Barry, and in a stern voice demanded an explanation.
"While Barry catches Oliver up how about I show you all where you can stay?" asked Barbara, easing down a ramp, fully aware of the secret meeting that had to happen with the people that belonged in the timeline. "We have many rooms available. I can also help with anything to help get you back on your mission. Including Intel on how to stop all of this from happening."
"That would be great," said Sara, meeting Oliver's eyes, both promising without speaking to catch-up later.
"Gideon is taking care of most of the repairs, but if she needs help I'll let you know," said Rip.
"Gideon?" asked Oracle, waving a hand in front of a panel to open a door.
"An A.I."
"Ah... Down the hall and to the right, all those rooms are open. The mess is on the left if you're hungry and we have bathrooms for freshening up. There are screens in your room, if you need me: just press the purple button on them."
The team dispersed without any words. Right now, they were all shaken. Everyone they knew was either dead or M.I.A. in this world. Not only that, but who was supposed to be their leader, had been lying to them about the fate of Star City from the start by withholding information from them all. Sara quickly found a room and locked herself inside before she used Rip as a punching bag. She threw herself down on a bed and groaned. It was much more comfortable than the cot on the ship.
She wasn't sure how long she'd been laying there, but a soft beep in her boot had her reaching down into it to pull out her phone. She opened her messages and sighed deeply when seeing one unread one from Leonard. She wasn't sure how he managed to send this message, if Gideon was enabling the messages or if Snart just got them working, but she eagerly opened it to see what he had to say.
'We need to talk. -L'
'Mess in five? -S'
'Too many eyes... Your room in ten. I'll be discrete . -L'
'Ok -S'
Now, after finding out her family was dead, and that perhaps she herself could be dead... Sara now had to prepare herself for the conversation that more than likely will center around the existence of a daughter she never saw herself having: with a man that didn't seem too keen on the idea either. Sara would mark 2046 being the worst year ever.
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Sara didn't have to wait long. Within a minute of sending that message, Leonard was in her room, quietly closing the door behind him. She was sitting on the edge of her temporary bed and did her best to keep her face closed off from any emotion. That was a harder feat for Leonard, who was pacing back and forth, as if trying to gather his thoughts. He'd ditched his leather jacket, making it easier to see the tenseness in his shoulders.
"You just come to wear a hole in the floor?" asked Sara, tired of watching him just pace.
"You can't tell me you're as calm as you look right now," said Leonard, twisting a chair around to straddle it, facing her in the process.
"I'm not," she said, looking down, blonde curls curtaining around her face. "I'm far from calm. Or fine. My home is a den filled with..."
"With?" he prompted.
"People like us," said Sara, looking up now. "Murderers and crooks."
"Yeah, and without us in it."
"Still would like to know how Deathstroke escaped Lian Yu," said Sara. "And how he managed to destroy this city in five years."
"Deathstroke is even older than I am," said Leonard. "My guess is this isn't the same one you've dealt with. A carbon copy, like the Arrow-Wannabe who's working with..." He'd almost said 'our daughter'. "For this group."
"Older than you, huh? Damn," said Sara, blue eyes twinkling in mischief.
"Very funny," said Leonard, not impressed.
"Makes sense, though. Now I'd be... Fifty-nine?"
"Probably retired somewhere nice."
Sara smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes this time. "You and I both know that isn't true. If my daughter was on the League, I'd want to be involved. I'd be here..."
Leonard braced his arms on the back of the chair, leaning forward to rest his chin on them. His eyes were still open, and Sara could see the distress behind them.
"I told myself I'd never have kids." The confession startled her. "Not after what Lisa and I went through. I didn't want to be the same kind of father... Refused to bring a kid in this messed up world when people like me were running around creating chaos. I mean look at this world... It's no place for a kid. My kid. So I propose a deal."
"Okay?" asked Sara.
"We make sure this doesn't happen," he said, pointing between them. "Ever."
"We don't even know how it happened," said Sara. "Why it happened."
"Doesn't matter," he said, sitting up now, but arms still casually slung over the chair. "Listen, Lance, this is nothing against you. Okay? You're..." He paused, trying to look for the right words and failing. "Great."
"Gee, thanks," said Sara.
"You know what I mean," he said, his stony demeanor slipping as he struggled with the right words. "You're a good catch, able to still find that man-or woman-to settle down with. Have the two-point-five kids and white picket fence."
"And you don't want that?" asked Sara, head tilting now curiously. She wasn't asking if he didn't want that with her, but for himself: with anyone. Didn't he want to be happy?
"I wasn't made for that..." Snart stood, quickly turning his back on her. "Good talk."
"Yeah, sure," said Sara as the door closed behind him.
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"I don't remember Sara ever mentioning us meeting in the future," said Oliver, mask off as he leaned against a table. His body was on fire. He'd taken on too many goons, still unable to admit that he was too old to be holding onto a bow. He had that in common with Bruce Wayne, who also still refused to retire. The two of them felt responsible for the failing leadership of the JL... And the repercussions of not paying close enough attention to Superman, who fell subject to Queen Bee and helped create this chaos unknowingly. Oliver had a lot on his plate at the time, so had Bruce and even Barry... Had Oliver been paying attention... But his own life had been in a swirling chaos. By the time they found out, it was too late, and Superman had taken out half the JLA before being taken down himself with kryptonite with help from Supergirl, Batman, and himself. Supergirl had almost perished in that fight, but all it had taken was one solid punch to get Clark on the ground to shoot him with a kryponite arrow. Batman had a collar-like apparatus made of the stuff and the reign of terror had come to an end.
Clark had refused to be let out of his prison for a long time, and to this day still faced the repercussions of the events he had no control over and made sure Oliver knew that next time, he was to put the arrow through his heart instead of in his shoulder.
"Mom and Dad never said anything either," admitted Dinah, her mask off as well, as she stood close to Connor. Connor's arm was around her waist, showing support for his girlfriend, while she talked to his father. Oliver still wasn't sure of the couple. Perhaps it was because it reminded him of his mistakes with Dinah's mother and aunt. Or maybe seeing his son have what he'd never have because of his own problems.
"Timelines are tricky," said Barry. "Just the smallest change can spider out in a complicated web. The best thing to do is get them back on course as soon as possible."
"We can use this, Barry," said Barbara. "They already know a lot. Why not all of it? To stop this from happening? To stop all of it."
"You think I don't want that?" asked Barry, thinking of his wife, who'd been killed reporting an ongoing attack of a bank a few years back in Central City while he'd been off-world for a JL mission. The men responsible were rotting in jail, but that never helped Barry deal with the guilt of not being there to save her. "You think I don't want to turn back time and bring Iris back? Felicity back? Dick back?" Barbara looked down at that, fingers clenching. "The thing is: who would be paying the large price needed to make that happen?"
"THEY would," said Connor. "Bee, Deathstroke, and the sonuvabitch who killed my mother..." He looked at Oliver. "You remember her, right?"
"Connor..." said Dinah in an admonishing tone.
"No!" Connor threw his hands up in frustration. "I can't believe we're actually debating this! We can stop this from happening. Should stop this from happening." Connor pointed to the walls leading to the outside. "The world is on fire and you all want to sit on your hands and watch it burn!"
"We don't want that," said Oliver calmly, his fatherly tone kicking in. "We just need to be smart about this."
"Screw this..." Muttered Connor, walking away from the group, snatching his bow. Oliver wanted to stop him, to plead with him to stop because he worried about him being out there alone, but he didn't He didn't do much lately, and had no idea how to speak with the one son he had in his life. Connor hesitated at the computer and looked over at Dinah. "Coming?"
Dinah, having the shock of her life at seeing her parents and not having processed yet, nodded eagerly. "Definitely."
"Stay close," said Barbara, saying what Oliver wanted to say. "It's still pretty heavy out there. If you get in trouble I want you close enough to get help."
"We will," promised Dinah before the two of them transported out of the base.
Barbara took off her glasses and rubbed her tired eyes. She had half a pot of coffee left and she felt like not even that would be enough to get her through the night. She was tired, so tired of worrying about everyone and wondering if that would be the night they never came back. Her family was gone, Dick was gone... Stephanie, Tim, and Cass-She only had Bruce and Jason left and even then she didn't speak to either of them. Both held so much guilt, so much anger... Something she even struggled with from time to time.
Oliver waited for five minutes before going to the transport. Unbeknownst to the younger members of the team, he trailed them a lot, to make sure they were safe. Barbara and Barry let him go and finally it was just the two of them. Barry knelt down to get to her eye level. Barbara used to get mad about that, feeling like she was on a lower level than everyone, but Barry? Barry was different, he didn't make her feel like less of a person.
"I know this sucks but we have to iron out all the details before we do this, Barbara."
"I know," she said. "You're right."
"I'm going to hit the showers, then get some rest. Call me if something pops up."
"I will..." Barbara watched him go then sighed before looking over her shoulder towards the other hall. "You can come out now... I know you're there."
Rip Hunter came out of the shadows, hands in his pockets as he looked over the once-caped-crusader. He'd read up on Batgirl, and her transition to becoming Oracle. In his timeline, she'd undergone a risky experimental surgery to get her legs and cape back. In this world... It looked like she stayed the Oracle permanently.
"So I've been trying to figure you out," said Barbara. "And I can't quite do it. I don't know you."
"I'm from the future."
"Oh..." Barbara laughed. "I guess that would do it."
"I'm sorry for the extra stress my team coming here has caused you."
"Nothing I can't handle," said Barbara, wheeling herself over to the coffee. She poured a cup then looked at him over her mug. "You really should get some ice for that."
"It's fine," said Rip. Sara punched him hard, but she hadn't done it full strength. He knew that, because he'd still been standing on his feet after. "We need to talk."
Barbara lifted a brow. "About?"
"About what we need to do to fix this," said Ray, coming in behind Rip with Stein.
"There is a lot of data... A lot of variables, but I can think of two things that would help."
"Okay," said Ray. "Tell us." He looked at Rip. "You promised us a better future. This future isn't better. If we are to change the timeline to save your family, then we will change it to save ours as well."
The show of bravado was unusual for Ray, but respected. Rip reluctantly nodded and Barbara cheered internally. Despite Oliver and Barry disapproving of this, knowing that the people who actually could travel in time agreed with her gave her the momentum needed. Eagerly she went to her computer and started typing furiously.
"In the future, you join a group called the Justice League. A group of heroes who try and keep the world safe from threats. Oliver and Barry join first... Then later on invite Hawkgirl, Atom, and Firestorm to join them. You are all lead by Batman and Superman."
"The guy flying around Metropolis in tights?" asked Jax.
"The one and only," continued Barbara. "Superman succumbs to mind control and does serious damage to the team, giving the bad guys time to finish infiltrating cities across the world without the heroes noticing. In 2016, Oliver is already battling one of partners affiliated with the woman who controls Superman. Many believe she controlled him, too. His name is Damian Darhk."
"I hear the guy is quite the tool," said Sara, easily strolling in. "Couldn't sleep and came to find a party happening in here without me."
"We are trying to figure out a way to fix this without making larger problems," said Kendra.
"Count us in then," said Snart.
"I dunno, this place has a certain charm," said Heatwave. "I could grow to like it here..."
Barbara shot Heatwave a dirty look but he just returned her look with a shrug.
"In 2016 Queen Bee is Dictator of Bialya and rules it with an iron fist. The threat then is her minion Darhk, who was instructed to take control of Star City and make it one of her strongholds. In 2020 she invades her surrounding countries in a show of power and wins. The United States takes notice, arranges a meeting to talk peace, and in turn she manages to get the government under her thumb with one meeting which also had Superman present. Take her out, and everything changes..."
"What else?" asked Stein. "You said there was another way?"
"In 2019..." Barbara stops, and her eyes flash to Sara. "Black Canary is killed in action by H.I.V.E. Elite soldiers. It's a mission gone wrong but... Laurel Lance's death cripples this city. The Captain blames himself and the functionality of the police crumbles. Team Arrow ends up disbanding soon after until its only Green Arrow and Speedy patrolling the city... Eventually, she leaves too under Oliver's orders. People started leaving the city, and so there was less to fight for. Just recently Barry and I came here with Dinah to help. We had reports of a new Arrow and... It was Connor, going against Oliver's wish to to not become the Arrow... Since then, piece by piece, we've been trying to take this city back."
"My sister dies in three years?" asked Sara, suddenly needing to sit down. She feels a warmth on her shoulder but doesn't acknowledge it. It's Snart, his fingertips squeezing one shoulder, while Kendra leans into Sara's side to show her support as well.
"I'm sorry, Sara, I know this is a lot to take in. She dies a hero but that isn't..." Barbara looked down at her hands. "I've lost many friends to the job, so believe me when I tell you that I know how you feel right now..." Babara pulls up the newspaper article, Laurel's picture at he center of it. "They stage it to look like she was shot in her home, instead of on the street in action. They never found the actual killer..."
"The date?"
"October 28th."
"I'll stop it," vowed Sara. "If I have to tie her up myself and make her stay home I'll do it."
"One wouldn't expect the death of a person to change so much," said Stein, being insensitive to the turbulent emotions within Sara. Laurel died in three years. She had a kid...It was one fucked up situation.
"Here," said Barbara, tapping the keys a few times before handing a small device to Sara. "You should hang on to that. It has everything on it. On how to save this city and many others."
Sara gripped the device tightly. Her sister's life depended on that data.
"Oracle come in!" shouted Oliver in her headset. "Oracle!"
"I'm here! What's wrong!" said Babara, putting Oliver on speaker. They all could head the sound of battle, as well as gunfire.
"We got trouble!" said Oliver.
"Should have known you'd follow us around like you didn't trust us," muttered Connor.
"You really want to do this now?" asked Oliver.
"I got you," said Barbara, tapping her earpiece. "BARRY! WAKE-"
"I'm here!" shouted Barry, rushing in with his suit on. "What's the situation."
"Oliver is in trouble. He's on the corner of-"
"Got it," said Barry before rushing to the transporter.
"Canary is down!" shouted Connor, making Sara and Leonard tense then look at each other. "Hurry!"
"You guys coming?" asked Barry.
"You askin' me out on a date, Allen?" asked Snart, stepping toward the transport as the now grinning Barry vanished. Didn't matter that he wanted to change the future, because in this future, his daughter was in trouble. Didn't matter that he didn't know her. Didn't matter that he didn't quite want her. He had her, and he'd be damned if she was killed while he could stop it.
"If he's in, I'm in," said Mick with a laugh. "Let's go kick Deathstroke's ass! I want that sword. Maybe the mask, too, a souvenir from 2046."
"Got weapons on the wall if you need them," said Barbara, and Sara quickly grabbed a pair of metal batons. She already had knives on her. She quickly followed her team. Jackson and Stein were merged, Ray had his suit with him... They were good to go. "Sending you to the coordinates now."
The team vanished on a mission to save a daughter Sara and Leonard never saw coming. Despite their earlier chat, they both now held a fierce determination to protect their own. It didn't take them long to hear the battle. Rip made the comment that if they didn't save her, it wouldn't matter, because the future could be changed: and that earned him dual cold glares that put Snart's coldgun to shame. Flash arrived first, taking some men down. Hawkgirl, Atom, and Firestorm took to the skies. Sara started picking the men off one by one, knocking them unconscious while Cold and Heatwave just blasted everything that moved. A cold chuckle had Sara turning in time to see Deathstroke take out his blade and she readied herself for a fight.
She was giving it all she had. He was well trained, but certainly not Deathstroke. He managed a few good punches and she could taste blood in her mouth. He viciously tossed her down to the ground and she groaned before bringing up the batons to block a deadly attack.
"You fight well," said Deathstroke, taking off his mask. "You should join me instead of fight me."
"Sorry. Trying this new thing about being a hero instead of the bad guy," said Sara, flipping her batons in her hands. She felt someone at her shoulder but knew it was a friend. "By the way, taking off the mask? Totally just downgraded your badass level from a seven to a two."
"Just like Keylo Ren, you're much scarier with the mask on," commented Snart.
"Again with the Star Wars jokes?" asked Sara.
"Joke's on you since you knew what I was referencing," said Snart, already bored with the conversation.
"Captain Cold? Didn't I kill you once already?" asked Deathstroke. "Ah, yes, during the siege of the city. All who failed to get in line... Were executed. You and your partner didn't like taking orders... And were taken care of... To later on find that you were affiliated with the Justice League your daughter was a part of... Icing on the cake. Superman was very helpful in handing over the identities of the team..."
"Tried and failed to kill me... As always Deathstroke," said Snart, not letting the announcement of his or Mick's death faze him. "Well, you aren't really Deathstroke. Perhaps that was the problem, kid. You lack a certain... Gusto!"
"Well, even if your death didn't stick, perhaps your daughters will!" said Deathstroke before tossing down a smoke pellet.
"Coward!" shouted Mick, coughing as the smoke filled his lungs. A goon groans and he eagerly kicked him twice in the face, taking out teeth and smashing nose cartilage. Mick didn't like hearing about his death, and wanted to smash his fists into more bodies. Watch someone's skin blister and bubble in the same sort of rage he was feeling. Well... Someone who deserved it anyway. Like Deathstroke! "Come back and fight, damn you!"
"We need to go!" shouted Connor and Sara turned to see a smattering of blood on his chest. Looking around frantically she saw Oliver and released a cry when seeing the limp body of her daughter. "Now!"
"No!" She never really got to talk to her. Got to get to know her. How could this happen? Sara now knew what Leonard was talking about. This pain she was feeling? She never wanted to feel it again.
"She's alive," said Oliver. "Barely. Let's go!"
"Alive?" Sara sighed, thankful. She looked at Leonard and his face was a storm of emotions, including anger. "Leonard..."
"If she dies... Deathstroke dies," he vowed, his eyes meeting Sara's in a silent promise. "Painfully."
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Dinah opened her eyes and groaned. She felt dizzy and had a headache from hell. She looked around her, confused, until seeing two familiar faces in front of her. Her parents were staring down at her, but they really weren't them. They were younger... Especially her mom. Her dad had less gray in his hair, a harder face, and lacked the love she'd seen in the gaze of her real father.
"Hey."
"You're grounded," said Leonard, earning a laugh from Dinah.
"How you feeling?" asked Sara.
"Like I was shot," snarked Dinah.
Definitely Leonard's daughter.
"Not funny," said Connor, looking to Sara and Leonard as he strolled into the room. "Your team are working on the ship. They said they'd be done fixing it soon since Oracle assembled some parts for you. Your leader was worried about some bounty hunter on your tail and wanted to leave as soon as possible. No offence but its hard seeing you two work for someone so stuffy,"
"I don't work for anybody but myself," corrected Snart. "But you do have a point... He's pretty stuffy."
"We should go..." said Sara after a moment of somewhat awkward silence.
"It's been fun," said Snart.
"Hey..." They stopped, then looked at Dinah. "I know this was all... Weird, but... But it was really good seeing your faces again," said Dinah, tears forming in her eyes, making Leonard and Sara shuffle in place. "You've both been gone for so long that... Yeah... You taught me to look out for myself, to protect myself here..." She pointed to her head. "And here." Her heart. "I've been following that advice, Dad."
"Listen, we're going to fix this... All of this... And... And your parents... Will be there for you. Always."
Sara was taken aback by the way Leonard spoke. Softly, encouragingly... Kindness and reassuring energy surrounding each syllable. Dinah smiled, and took Leonard's hand, squeezing it. His brows furrowed, a look of being unsure crossing his features before squeezing back. He left first and Sara followed. They didn't talk as they snuck their way around town to get back to their ship.
"Mick is a more than a little upset we're leaving this all behind. The chaos, the ability to be bad and run rampant... He said he wanted to be king of this land."
"Oh, really?" asked Sara with a laugh.
"Really... He's like a kid being told he couldn't play with his toys anymore," said Leonard. "I don't think he'll forgive me for making him leave."
"Wave a different toy in his face and he might get over it," suggested Sara, finally coming to the ship. "Or, remind him he might be forever lost in time when the future changes before his eyes."
"Exactly what I have in mind." He reached out, stilling her with a light grip on her elbow. She stopped to look up at him. "Look, about what we saw here... This won't be our future... We'll stop all of this but..." His grip tightened a little, his eyes boring into hers, making Sara's breath hitch as her wide eyes stared back. "...she was... Beautiful."
Sara smiled, placing her hand over his, her fingertips trailing over his own that had micro-cuts all along the skin from his wrist to his knuckles. "She was."
"If you two are done with your kumbya moment, we're ready to go," grumbled Mick, startling them apart.
"Yeah," said Sara.
"Let's get the hell out of here," added Snart.
.
.
.
Later... Sara snuck in the archive room, and asked Gideon what Star City looked like in 2046. Gideon showed her, with a warning that the future was constantly changing, and Sara smiled at what she was shown. Star City looked beautiful. No burning barrels or cars. No crumbled buildings. Just blue sky, green grass, and the occasional piece of litter. Hey, nothing was perfect! Looking over her shoulder she made sure no one else was around before asking about Dinah Snart.
"There is no one by that name listed in Star City..." Sara felt a wave of disappointment, bracing her hands on the table before looking down. She'd been prepared and ready for that. But she still remembered her daughter's blue eyes and shining blonde hair. Still remembered the shape of her face that looked like Leonard. Sara wished she'd gotten to know her more. Gotten to talk with her instead of leaving right away. How was she as a mother? How was Snart as a father? What were their lives like? "...however..." Sara looked up. "...there is a Dinah Snart located in Central City."
A picture popped up. It was her, and Sara smiled.
Looked like she had something to look forward to in the future after all.
"Be seeing you," she told the image, before shutting it down.
Unbeknownst to her, Leonard Snart went into the archives, and did the same thing an hour later. He left the room with a look mixed with fear but also anticipation. Perhaps he couldn't change everything about the future, and it was still too early to tell if Dinah Snart would 100-percent exist... But if she came, he'd be there for her and her mother.
Always...
.
.
.
Star City-2021
Sara looked at the pregnancy test and sighed before focusing in on the result. Her stomach bubbled nervously and she pressed her hand to it while a smile slowly broke out on her face.
"Hello, Dinah," she said, looking down at her still flat belly, speaking quietly while her husband slept peacefully in the next room. "We've been expecting you."
END