Chapter I: A second is too long

AN: Okay guys, so I know I am a few days late, but I'm still wondering WHAT ON GOD'S GREEN EARTH DID I JUST SEE? That season finale was idiotic, funny, a tad moronic, original and strangely enough stupidly enjoyable. I can't really believe that I liked the finale even though I expected… I don't know… something more epic, but then again it is the Legends of Tomorrow after all. I love that Jes will be a regular for season 4 and I'm sure we are all very excited to see the new episodes, but in the meantime we have a few months to create wonderful stories and drawings and amazing art in general.

So, here's the plan: this is the second part of the sequel that started in Pompeii, we'll see how and if the legends will succeed finding all the totems and a rather large number of new characters will appear (some of them OC). I love using real elements in my writing, but please remember that at the end of the day it is just fiction so some details may be a bit twisted and not copy their actual history. Most of all just have fun and thank you for all the comments and kudos! I'll do my best to post updates every Tuesday/Wednesday, let me know if you like it!

Summary: The Legends have made it victorious from the accident in Pompeii, but Mallus is still out there, merely weakened, but very much alive. This adventure will be centered on finding one of the missing totems and we'll see an unexpected (and pleasant surprise) in the next chapters. Now it's time to see who is going to fight for the good and who will be on the side of the bad. For now the Legends only have Amaya and Zari's totem, or do they? Read and find out… (warning: a bit angsty at the beginning)

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Do you know what the sky looks like just before a calamitous storm? Before all hell breaks loose and nothing but pure destruction rains down on Earth? Do you know the grey clouds that look so angry with their encompassed thunders and lightnings swirling within them like bitter electric eels swimming around their prey. Well, that was how Sara's eyes looked like at this very moment, a heartbeat away from imminent annihilation to everything and everyone that stood in her way and this would have made Ava's blood freeze, had she been awake and by her side and not lying unconscious in the med bay.

Actually, Sara wouldn't have been feeling like this if Ava wasn't fighting for her life at this moment, if only Sara had been a second faster, Ava would have been just fine. If Sara had thrown that knife a moment earlier, Ava would not be bleeding on the cold surgical table of the Waverider right now.

"Sara…" – Amaya took a step in the med bay area, but before she got too close Sara got up from the chair she was sitting and looking at the ground stopped her advances.

"Amaya, don't." – The Captain spoke coldly.

"I know you want to help, but making me talk about it won't help." – Sara talked bitterly.

"I need you to get the team and go deal with erasing the memory of the locals. I just… I need some time alone." – Sara said and Amaya nodded. Their friendship had grown rather easily since the vixen joined the legends, both women were strong and had certain authority that the team all respected, so Sara didn't hesitate to put Amaya in charge whenever the situation required it. This was one of those times.

"We are here for you Sara." – Said Amaya with a gentle voice and with a quick kiss on Sara's head, the totem barer walked away, ready to call on the rest of the team and get to work.

Once the door on the Waverider was closed, Gideon's voice sounded over the ship's audio system.

"Miss Jiwe and the rest of the legends have left the ship Captain." – The Ai spoke and Sara could almost hear a distinct note of worry in her tone.

"Good." – Sara mumbled under her nose and looked at her hands.

They were all painted red from Ava's blood and even though the color was already starting to darken, Sara could still feel the stickiness it had left behind and smell the copper in the air around her. Her hands were not the only thing that was bloody, her once white t-shirt had become crimson and was soaked through. She needed to wash this blood of her, it made her too angry to even look at it and too sick to just pretend it wasn't there, but leaving Ava alone at this moment seemed like an unbearable thought. So, she just took a seat beside the table, carefully taking the Director's hand in her own and silently praying to every god in the universe for Gideon to succeed in keeping Ava alive.

After four additional hours of mental torture for the ex-assassin, the monitors showing Ava's vitals finally steadied and adopted a constant beeping rhythm.

"I have done everything I can, Captain. Director Sharpe lost a lot of blood on the field and I almost lost her twice, but she is stable now. Unfortunately, she slipped into coma, her body will need time to recuperate, now we just have to wait." – Gideon explained.

"Thank you, Gideon." – Sara said absentmindedly, only registering the words "coma" and "wait". If only she had been faster, the blonde couldn't stop replaying the events in her mind.

"Gideon, I am going for a quick shower, notify me immediately if there is any change in her state." – Sara said, but her gaze hardened like it did right before battle, but what nobody could see was that Sara was in fact leading a battle. A battle with her own.

The scalding water drops hit mercilessly Sara's skin, but she couldn't come to care about the burning sensation that literally washed over her, she scrubbed her hands with rapid movements, angry and sad at the same time. The water under her feet was painted pink, but Sara still felt nauseous, every time she blinked, she saw Ava getting stabbed by Saleh.

Finally getting out of the shower, proved to be a challenging task, her mind was hazy with countless thoughts of what could and should've been, but the facts remained. Sara hadn't been quick enough and Ava paid the prize for her mistake. Putting on some clean clothes, the captain made her way to the office, not having the courage to see Ava's still body in the med bay. Not seeing Ava smiling and talking or even teasing her, made Sara's gut feel heavy and Sara did what she always does in desperate situations, when all the cards were on the table already and everything depended on what each player had up their sleeve. She drank. She took the square crystal bottle with crisp amber liquid swirling within and poured herself a nice glass of whiskey, because if there was something Sara had learned until now was that fate always played her cards well. What if Ava's… demise is one of those events that just have to happen no matter what?

One glass turned into another and the tears stopped, her eyes were puffy and her voice was hoarse from the crying, but now the anger that laid buried in her heart made its way to the surface. Sara was clenching the glass in her hand so fiercely that when the sharp shreds broke the skin of her palm she realized what had happened. Blood again, red, hot, dripping blood. Only this time she had hurt just herself and a part of her wished she had been strong enough to break the relationship with Ava before Pompeii. Clearly, it was a mistake to try and be together, but her heart's screams over her mind's thoughts were louder and she couldn't deny the love she felt for the taller blonde. That same destructive love that brought them to this very moment.

Getting up on her feet, Sara walked to the desk where a photo of her and Ava was sitting on the surface. Zari had been trying to fix an old Polaroid camera as a gift for Amaya, the curly haired woman loved the photography, and had taken a picture of Ava and Sara watching a movie with the team. The two women were snuggled together and Ava was using Sara as a pillow when the captain had whispered something into her ear and Ava had looked up into Sara's eyes, blushing softly. Zari of course, had gone to make popcorn and couldn't contain herself from snapping a picture of the said moment even though initially both blondes shot her a death glare, before they started laughing when Zari gave them the photo as a peace offering.

The frame was sent flying to the other end of the office, hitting masterfully the objects from a few of the wooden shelves. After that, another flying object followed and by the time two glasses turned into three and three into four, Sara was surrounded by a mess of broken things. It was rather ironic actually, the most broken of all was the Captain, she stood in the middle of the room, trembling from the emotional outburst and the alcohol in her system.

"Way to go dummy. Jesus what a mess." – A teasing voice sounded from beside her and Sara quickly looked around, eyes widening as she saw who was sat beside her.

"Ava…? You…" – Sara was just about to throw herself at the woman in front of her when she noticed tat something was off. There was no way Ava could have recuperated that fast, not even on a ship with the most advanced healing system. Besides, Ava was dressed in jeans and that teasingly stylish cobalt blue shirt that Sara knew for a fact she tore apart with her bare hands just over two weeks ago when Ava had met her for dinner at her apartment.

"You are not real." – Sara voiced her thoughts sadly.

"Of course I'm not. I am just a manifestation of your thoughts. Come on, Lance, you know the wounds would need at least a couple of days to begin healing." – The woman spoke.

"I am so sorry. I should've been faster." – Sara mumbled still not looking at Ava by her side.

"You know just as well as the real me that I would never blame you for what happened. It was a fight, things happen." – The Ava look alike spoke.

"I need you to not give up on me Sharpe."

"Then get off your sorry ass, pull yourself together and go tell the real me what you're thinking. I am pretty sure she could use the encouragement to keep fighting."

It was difficult to talk when everything around her was spinning, it was even harder to walk back to the med bay, but Sara was already on her way. Taking a few wobbling steps at a time, the Captain left her office, not caring about all the damage she had caused or the cuts on her hands that still bled and left bloody prints over the walls of the Waverider.

Not knowing how that would frighten the legends and lead them to misinterpret the situation as an impromptu attack from the Darhks, she would deal with these details later, now she walked to where Ava was lying still and took her hand in hers again. Closing her eyes and thinking about how everything had started and how they got to the point where all hell broke loose.

Two weeks ago…

TBC