It was their first mission into the future, and Kendra couldn't tell if it was going right or wrong.
Most of the team was out working a lead on Savage, but she and Jax had been left behind because Jax was currently sick with the flu and since her skills weren't necessary to the mission she had been asked, or rather ordered by Rip, to stay behind and take care of him. They had gone ten years into their own future, the year 2026, but had gone to a backwater no-name town so it didn't excite anybody all that much. That being said Kendra was very grateful for the small town because Jax had all but begged her to go find him some soup and because of the town's small size finding the supermarket was relatively easy. She went in and wandered around the store until she found the isle with soup and she just had to laugh upon recalling Jax's request.
"I don't know what cartoons kids are watching now, but if you can find that soup with the shape noodles that'd be great."
Lucky for him character soup still appears to be popular amongst children and she managed to find some familiar Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles among the shapes, though she did briefly consider buying the Princess one as a joke. Shaking her head she placed three cans of soup into her basket but as she did she got a strange feeling that someone was watching her.
Looking up she found she was right, someone indeed was watching her. But he wasn't the kind of person she would've expected. He was a young boy, nine, maybe ten, years old. He stood at the near end of the isle, half hidden behind a discount bin. He had shaggy, light brown hair that was almost getting in the way of his blue-green eyes, and he had what appeared to be a healing black eye.
Once he realized that he had been spotted the boy pulled back and ducked into the next isle. Kendra knew that she shouldn't do this, it's not like this child wasn't some creep stalking her. But thing is, the store was relatively empty. There wasn't another adult, as far as Kendra could tell, anywhere near the child. Besides something, some little voice in her head, was prompting her to talk to the child. So she walked around the store, acting as if she were looking for something, and every time she stopped she observed that the boy wasn't far behind. Finally, when she had spent an extra half hour in the store and was running out of places to stop, she came to a halt in the frozen section with the boy lurking just around the corner.
"Did you lose your mom?" She finally asked, although she had to fight to keep her face stern when she heard the boy jump in the next isle, obviously surprised she addressed him.
"Sorry," he murmured sheepishly, slowly dragging himself around the corner with red cheeks and downcast eyes.
"Don't be sorry, but you've been following me for almost a half hour and I need to go but before I do I want to make sure you're not hoping I'll let you use my phone or something." She explained gently and the boy shook his head.
"No ma'am," he replied, "I'm sorry," he continued and although she should've left Kendra instead found herself crouching down to the boy's height.
"Are you ok?" She asked him, that little voice in her head was still nagging her and at the very least she could reason that this child had been following her without ever making contact with any other adult; something was definitely up.
"You look like her," He finally said, Kendra just looked at him confused.
"Who do I look like?" She asked, "Your mom?" She continued the question but the boy shook his head. "Who?" She asked but he only shook his head again.
"You'll think I'm crazy," he warned and she couldn't help but chuckle at that.
"Trust me kid I have seen more than my fair share of crazy," she told him and he laughed a little. "Now come on, who do I look like?" She asked again gently.
"The eagle lady," he answered and at first Kendra thought maybe he was comparing her to some future television character, but then he continued. "She's this lady that I see when I dream, and sometimes she has wings and an eagle mask. But other times she just looks like a normal person, and she looks a lot like you." He explained and as he did a theory came to Kendra's mind, but it was too impossible. "Told ya you'd think I'm crazy," the boy continued with a frown when she said nothing in response.
"No, no I don't think you're crazy." She immediately assured the boy, instinctively placing her hands on his shoulders for a split second before she yanked them back. "I think it's very sweet that you think I look like a lady you dream about," she continued, "What's the eagle lady's name?" She asked and the boy shrugged.
"I don't know," he said before he smiled again, "She's really nice though, but sometimes she asks me to come back to her so I think that maybe, maybe she's my mom." He explained, his face falling as he did. As he spoke Kendra realized what such a belief meant, but she decided it was probably best not to comment. Besides, she was far too distracted by what this woman said to him in his dreams; her last words to Carter. "That's why I was following you," he admitted, looking very guilty, "I'm sorry." He said again.
"Don't be sorry, what's your name kid?" She asked him, although she wouldn't push if he didn't tell her.
"Nicholas," he replied and Kendra gave him a sweet smile.
"Well Nicholas, this eagle lady sounds like she misses you very much and I'm sure you'll find her someday." She assured him and he smiled a sweet and happy smile.
"Man, I was starting to think you got lost." Jax croaked when Kendra finally arrived back at the Waverider. They had a small common room just before the bridge and in that common room the sick hero was currently lying on the couch surrounded by a trash bag of used tissues and cough drop wrappers.
"Sorry," Kendra replied distractedly as she made her way over to the single burner they had on the small stove and began preparing the soup, despite Jax's earlier claims that he would make it himself.
"Hey, are you ok?" The younger man asked, noticing how spooked his friend appeared to be.
"Yeah," she said maybe a little too quickly, "yeah I'm fine, it's nothing." She assured him.
"Ok well, do you want me to make the soup?" He asked, he was grateful she had gotten it for him and it just didn't feel right to ask her to make it too, it's not like she had volunteered to stay behind and take care of him.
"No, I got it." She said and figuring she might need a distraction from whatever was on her mind Jax said nothing more but a thank you to her.
"So how was your day?" Leonard asked of Kendra later on after he and the others had returned. With the exception of Jax who was still on the couch, and Rip who was in his office with the door open, the entire team was hanging out in the bridge. They're mission today hadn't been more than a dead end on Savage and a lot of fighting thanks to Mick accidently getting on the wrong side of some very violent people.
"Boring," Kendra replied as Sara came strolling over, the assassin who was more than capable of reading the masked faces of just about everyone, and Kendra was no master when it came to wearing a mask.
"Come on you have to have done something besides wait on Jax," she prompted, knowing that her teammate had done something that she wasn't talking about. She stopped and stood with her hands on her hips as she glared down at Leonard.
"You're in my seat," she informed him; of course she didn't need his smirk to tell her that he was well aware of this fact.
"Sit somewhere else Blondie," he said and Sara shrugged,
"Suit yourself," she muttered before planting herself on his lap, "So come on, you didn't have any crazy adventures in 2026?" She asked more directly and Kendra sighed.
"Ok I know this sounds crazy but… I think I saw Carter." She confessed and she was right about one thing, everyone looked at her like she was crazy.
"What like a zombie?" Mick finally questioned but Kendra shook her head.
"No like his next incarnation," she explained, "I went to the store to get Jax some soup and there was this little boy there, watching me. Finally he told me that I look like this eagle woman that he see's in his dreams, and in his dreams she tells him to come back to her. That's the last thing I said to Carter." She admitted,
"Ok but Carter died when we were in the seventies," Ray pointed out.
"Yes but in order to avoid a paradox it's possible that his spirit was reincarnated back in present day, and considering we've gone ten years into our own future… Kendra how old was this boy?" Stein asked; one could almost see the gears turning in his head.
"Nine or ten," Kendra answered,
"Alright hang on, what was his name?" Mick asked,
"Nicholas," she said,
"There you go, not Carter." He said and just about everyone had to stop themselves from face palming, except for Stein who apparently lacked the self-control to do so.
"Their names are not the same in every life," Rip explained to Mick as he came speed walking in as he always does. "But professor Stein may be right, because you and Carter reincarnate in one way or another he already existed in the seventies and so when we brought our Carter back and he, was killed, the time stream could've easily been damaged but repaired itself be reincarnating Carter into the nearest time period in which he did not yet exist, which after his death would be 2016." He explained,
"So what?" Ray asked, "This Carter is a ten-year-old boy, he has a life and a family and Kendra's the only one who can kill Savage anyway so it's not like we need him." He pointed out before turning to Kendra. "Look I know you loved him-"
"No," she cut him off, "You're right, we can't drag him into this." She agreed and Ray nodded in agreement.
"I thought your destiny's were intertwined," Leonard stated more than said, clearly he didn't want this opportunity for a fight among the team to go to waste.
"I don't care, we're not dragging a kid into this." She stated firmly,
"Fine we'll just go another ten years into the future and pick him up when he's twenty." Sara said and it was very hard to tell if she was kidding or not.
"No," Kendra said again, "I needed Carter to teach me how to use my powers and about my past; if we were to bring Nick here then I'd be teaching him on top of trying to keep him safe, not to mention I wouldn't even know how to teach him." She continued, she's still struggling to get a handle on trying to figure out things for herself; she'd never be able to help Nick.
"So we're shortening his name now?" Leonard teased but the glare Kendra sent him, though it didn't intimidate him, told him not to push her patients further.
"Ok so it's settled, frankly I'm very happy to hear that for once you people want to leave well enough alone," Rip said before anyone could try reconsidering the issue.
"Says the guy who stole a time machine," Sara smirked as Rip left the bridge and returned to his office.
"Can't sleep?" Sara's voice snapped Kendra out of her daze later that night. She had gotten up and started wandering the Waverider, and unsurprisingly she found herself in the bridge.
"Yeah, just one of those nights," She excused but it was obvious that Sara didn't buy it.
"Right," she laughed.
"What about you?" Kendra asked, eager to get the focus off of herself.
"Old nightmares, a lap or two around the Waverider and I'll be good." She brushed off but Kendra only moved closer.
"Anything you want to talk about?" She asked but Sara shook her head.
"Nothing that bad, you thinking about him?" She asked and her friend sighed.
"How can I not?" She asked, "I lost Carter the same day I realized I was in love with him. He died in my arms and I asked him to come back to me, and he did." Now she was close to tears and despite emotions not being her strong suit Sara stepped forward and pulled Kendra into a hug. They were alone, and in solitude was where Sara's inner self seemed to thrive. Not the dark part of her, but the light and loving part that she kept hidden underneath all the darkness. Letting it out was a conscious effort every time, but it was worth it.
"Shh," she said as Kendra began to cry, and it wasn't long before the reincarnated priestess pulled out of the embrace.
"What do I do?" She asked,
"What do you think?" Sara asked her
"I don't know; I mean I was in love with his past life and besides we're talking about taking him in and I don't know how to be a mom." She panicked and Sara just looked at her as if she were crazy, before another thought crossed her mind.
"You don't think he has a family here?" She asked and Kendra nodded as she wrapped her arms around herself.
"He said that he thinks the eagle woman might be, that I might be, his mom." She confessed, "He was alone and he looked pretty beat up, I'm not sure he has much of anyone." She continued as she slumped down into a seat and Sara sighed with a smile.
"Well we know you're not his biological mom but, maybe you could be his adoptive mom." She suggested, taking a seat next to her friend who looked like she was about to object to the idea. "And don't give me that not knowing how to be a mom crap," she said quickly. "Kendra when you found out that Aldus was the son of one of your past lives, you could've rejected him. You didn't remember him and you told him that, you could've chosen not to believe him and honestly I think he would've understood. But you didn't. You brought him here against Rip's orders because you knew what was going to happen to him and you couldn't let it come true-"
"Yeah well it did," Kendra interrupted but Sara wouldn't have it.
"No it didn't," she insisted, "He was going to die in his office alone, no one would know until maybe hours later. But you didn't reject him; you immediately started referring to him as your son, you nearly took Rip's head off when he got hurt, and you stayed with him until he died. Yes he did die, but he didn't die alone." She ranted, "You had every right not to accept Aldus as your son, but you did. You're more than capable of being a mom Kendra, and from what I know you and Carter are always destined to love each other and in my experience at least there's more than one kind of love," She advised, "Ok I'm done," she said and she and Kendra both chuckled.
"You really want me to drag Nick into this don't you?" She asked knowingly
"I just think that you're always going to find each other in one way or another no matter what, and if he's going to be seventeen years younger than you, you might as well raise him." She said with a laugh and Kendra laughed too, but didn't say anything. "At least go find out where he is, make sure he's really better off there." She bargained and Kendra nodded with an accepting smiled.
"Ok, fair enough." She agreed as she stood up, "I'll track him down in the morning,"
"Ok," Sara agreed from her seat but as Kendra left she found herself with one last question. "Kendra?" She asked and her friend turned back, "if my nightmares ever are really bad can I talk to you?" She asked nervously and although Kendra was clearly taken off guard by the question she nodded her head as soon as the words processed.
"Of course," she agreed, and when Sara smiled with gratefulness she turned and continued on her way.
"Where is Kendra?" Rip demanded the next morning, "I've searched the entire ship and I can't find her anywhere," he continued to complain.
"Well did you check her-?"
"Yes Mr. Palmer I checked her quarters," he interrupted Ray, impatient as always.
"What's it matter? It's not like we're leaving," Leonard said, with Jax sick they couldn't go anywhere for a while.
"On the contrary Mr. Snart," Rip began, more or less annoyed with his team as usual. "Mr. Jackson, though still suffering some ailments, as been cleared by Gideon as healthy enough for time travel and considering we've already been in this time for over a week we really should get moving." He snapped,
"Calm down, she just went to get a coffee." Sara said from where she sat with her legs over one of the armrests of her seat.
"We have coffee!" Rip exclaimed,
"Yeah but it sucks," Mick put in before mumbling something about how he wished Kendra had told them she was going so he could've asked her to bring him back one.
So while his partner in crime was moping and Rip was marching off to inspect their coffee machine Leonard walked over to Sara and crouched down to her height.
"You know something," he whispered in her ear in a singsong voice.
"And I've instructed the computer not to tell you or anyone else," she whispered back smugly.
Kendra wasn't really out getting coffee, of course. She had used Gideon to help her find Nick, which was very hard to do off of only a first name and a general physical description. But eventually they did find him, in a foster home. That news had sent Kendra's heart into shatters; because here she thought that maybe, just maybe, he had a decent life here. After standing outside of the house for what seemed like forever she finally went up and knocked on the door where a woman who appeared to be in her mid fifties answered the door.
"Hi, um I was hoping that maybe I could talk to you about a boy you foster? Nicholas?" She asked and the woman leaned up against the doorway.
"What about him?" She asked
"I just want to know, is he ok?" She asked and the woman sighed,
"He's fine," the woman replied but before she could say anything else, or tell Kendra to get lost, Nicholas approached the door and upon seeing who was there pushed past his caretaker and hugged the woman on the front steps.
"Chay-Ara!" He exclaimed happily, catching both the women way off guard.
"Hey," Kendra said awkwardly as she detached the young boy from around her waist. "I thought you said-" she began but he happily cut her off.
"I had another dream, she told me her name! Or your name," he explained, clearly more convinced than ever that she was the same woman he had seen in his dreams, not that he was wrong.
"Nicholas," his caretaker snapped and the boy stepped back, "he has a very active imagination." She said apologetically but Nick turned and stomped his foot.
"She is real!" He insisted, clearly not for the first time. "This is Chay-Ara!" He shouted and so with that Kendra got down to the young boy's height.
"Nicholas, Nicholas." She said, trying to get the boy's attention.
"Tell her," he demanded and Kendra sighed.
"I'm sorry but that eagle lady is just a dream." She insisted and Nick looked so heartbroken that Kendra almost wished she didn't have to lie.
"But…" He trailed off.
"I'm sorry," Kendra said again before getting to her feet.
"Where have you been?" Rip demanded of Kendra once she returned.
"Just out for a walk," Kendra replied distractedly
"Sara told me you went to get coffee?" Rip exclaimed before shaking his head, "Forget it, we've wasted enough time parked in this era. Strap in, we're following a lead on Savage." He instructed as the two of them entered the bridge where everyone else was already secured in their seats. All eyes were on Kendra, as all knew she hadn't really been out getting coffee, but she was silent as she strapped herself in.
"You ok?" Sara asked as her friend passed her.
"Yeah," Kendra replied with a nod of her head.
"Say goodbye to the future everyone, we're going a long way back from here." Rip announced and with that the Waverider took off.
Upon landing it was business as usual; Rip was rambling about the plan while everyone was nauseous as usual. But strangely, there was another sound coming from off in the distance. It was the sound of crying, and it was coming from the back of the Waverider. The instant she managed to get her restraints off Kendra sprinted to the back room, a sinking pit in her stomach telling her exactly what had happened.
Sure enough when she got there she found Nicholas lying on the floor, holding his head, and sobbing uncontrollably.
"Nick!" She exclaimed as she dropped down next to him, very vaguely she noticed Rip behind her and heard his words.
"Oh you didn't," he muttered
"Nick, Nick what are you doing here?" She asked the boy while ignoring her captain.
"I'm sorry," he sobbed, "I followed you and… and I just thought… I just thought," he sobbed but Kendra was quick to shush him.
"Shh, ok, ok." She said as she reached out brushed Nick's bangs out of his face. "It's ok, it's ok. I'll take you back to the foster home-"
"No! No the other kids there make fun of me!" He cried and Kendra shushed him again.
"I'm sorry to hear that, but you can't stay here." She told him firmly and he began crying even harder.
"Oh for god sake woman you know this is where he belongs, just keep him!" Rip interrupted, finally prompting Kendra to turn around. "Come on Kendra, you two need each other." He said and with that Kendra looked back at the crying boy, then back at Rip, then at Nick again, and then she stood up.
"Do you want to stay?" She asked Nick who just looked at her in surprise. "Do you want to stay?" She asked again and this time he nodded. "Are you sure?" She asked and again Nick nodded.
"Yes," he replied and Kendra smiled.
"Then come on," she said, holding out her hand, which Nick took happily with a smile on his face.
As Kendra led the young boy out of the room Rip stood there and let out a sigh,
"Well, this'll be fun." He said to himself before heading back for the bridge himself, where he found the rest of the team welcoming their newest member.