Who Are You? (Part 1)
"Sara Lance. Fancy seeing you here."
Damien Darhk's condescending voice was just as infuriating as Sara remembered. She clenched her teeth and tightened her grip on her bo staff. "Well, where else would I be?" She spat back, twirling her staff around as if it heightened her threat.
Darhk simply chuckled. "Cute. You against me. Isn't that lovely? Do you really believe you can take me down all by your lonesome?"
"Maybe," Sara paused, envisioning that scenario in her head. "But I've got a surprise for you, Mr. Darhk." He tilted his head in response. "I'm not alone this time."
As if on cue, her team approached from behind her. The loyal Ray Palmer, his fist raised in defense as he prepared to attack. Jax Jackson and Martin Stein, hands poised, ready to join together in a split second. Mick Rory, his index finger resting on the trigger of his heat gun, a hungry light shining in his eyes. Amaya Jiwe and Nate Heywood, new to the team but still ready to risk their lives for her, their leader, in a heartbeat.
Their leader. It sounded so bizarre. Sara still felt inclined to look to Rip Hunter for instructions. But she had nowhere to look anymore. Rip was gone. The loss was fresh in every single member of the team, but they had to continue to move forward and focus on the task at hand.
And that was defeating Damien Darhk.
"You're outnumbered, Darhk," Sara jibed. "Admit it."
"Mm…tempting," Darhk mused, lacing his fingers together behind his back and beginning to pace back and forth, completely at ease. "But. Unfortunately for you, I can't." Now it was Sara's to be rendered speechless. She simply gave him a look that asked him what the hell he meant, and he smiled. "Show yourselves, boys." He proclaimed with an abrupt clap of his hands.
There was a sudden rush of air that caused Sara to take a surprised step back as her hair was blasted in every direction. Her eyes caught sight of a burst of crimson lightning before it skidded to a halt. And there was a man there.
The first thing Sara noticed about him was the bright yellow suit, identical to the Flash's. She would've considered it non-threatening due to the color, but then the man turned. Piercing blue eyes, not as intense as Darhk's, but still enough to cause a chill trickling down her spine. A threatening face framed by dirty blonde hair.
"Great Scott." Sara caught wind of Stein's hushed exclamation. "It's him. It's Thawne." She whirled around as he mouthed 'Reverse-Flash' to her. Her muscles tensed, and Stein's hand moved to grab Jax's, prepared to join together.
"Stand. Down." She growled under her breath, and they obeyed.
As she turned, her eyes were met with yet another blue gaze. Cold and calculating, accompanied with a superior smirk. Malcolm Merlyn. Her true murderer. The one who had forced Thea Queen to fire three arrows into her. It took almost all of her willpower not to lunge at the conceited bastard.
But she didn't. "That all you got, Darhk?"
"Not quite." He answered, a knowing smirk plastered to his face. His gaze met Mick's momentarily before he held Sara's. "Now this…this'll be fun to watch."
"Your turn, my frozen friend."
That's when he appeared. It was as if she were watching someone come back from the dead. Her eyes connected with his immediately. She would've thought about how coincidental it was that all four had such piercing blue eyes…but her brain couldn't form a rational thought the minute he held her gaze.
Those were the eyes she had stared into so many times, the ones she could recognize in a heartbeat. But they weren't the same. They were cold, uncaring…unidentifiable. An uncomfortable pit formed in stomach and her throat was so clotted she couldn't speak.
But Ray did, making up for the shocked silence that had appeared both within her and Mick.
"…Snart?"
"Were you expecting Adolf Hitler?" There it was. That familiar drawl that Sara had always found so endearing. She no longer did. He looked to her and she swallowed harshly. "Hello, Sara. Mick."
"Leonard—" Her voice came out weakly.
"Cold." He corrected immediately.
Her jaw slammed shut and she went mute, trying to fight back the confused and angry tears that were welling in her eyes. Mick saved her from making a fool of herself.
"You're not Snart." He growled. "You can't be. Snart's dead."
"Very much alive." Cold remarked.
"Enough with the chatter," Thawne waved his hand. "You're boring me."
Darhk smirked. "Well, I suppose you've recovered from your initial shock…"
Not nearly. Sara thought. I just found out my almost-lover is still alive.
Almost-lover. Was that really what he'd been to her? She remembered the obvious flirting, the looks they shared where their eyes held each other's for a moment too long. And the kiss. God, that kiss. The passion as their lips met, the pain of knowing that it was truly goodbye.
But now it wasn't.
She closed her eyes before moving her gaze back to Darhk, ignoring Snart's piercing stare.
"...so, let's get started, shall we?" Darhk finished.
"And what do you plan to do, Darhk?" Sara inquired sharply.
A sinister smile formed on his lips and he lifted a hand. "This." In the blink of an eye, he snapped his fingers and a scream of anguish split through the air. Sara whirled around to face the noise.
Mick was sinking to his knees, clutching his chest as if it were in extreme agony. His eyes bulged, and his body convulsed uncontrollably. Sara felt the strong urge to rush to his aid, but she reluctantly held her ground.
"Ooh…not enough for you, is it, Sara?" Darhk jibed. She ignored his attempt at provoking her as her eyes landed on Snart. He watched Mick struggle on the ground, fighting for breath, a menacing smirk plastered on his face. He was completely unaffected, and that frightened Sara more than just seeing him alive and well.
"Then I'll just have to try a little harder, won't I, Miss Lance?" She said nothing in response, simply meeting his gaze with a deathly glare. Darhk linked his fingers together behind his back and smiled before speaking again…
"Get 'em, boys."
His quiet proclamation felt like an invisible gunshot sounding through the air. And before Sara could comprehend what was happening, they were being attacked.
As Jax and Stein, now combined into the dangerous F.I.R.E.S.T.O.R.M., grappled with the Reverse-Flash, Amaya and Ray dealt with Merlyn, and Nate did his best to face Snart alone, Sara stood in silence, watching Damien Darhk with a fire in her eyes.
"You sick bastard," She seethed.
"Oh, I'm far from sick. I'm quite well, if you must know." He gestured to where Nate lay trapped on the ground, with the barrel of Snart's cold gun thrusted against his forehead. "You should go help him, you know. Or…Mr. Rory." His smile widened and Sara turned to face where Mick was sprawled on the ground, seemingly unconscious. He didn't appear to be breathing.
"Let Rory go." She demanded.
"Or what?" Darhk challenged. "You'll bash my brains out with your little stick? You aren't a threat, Miss Lance, admit it."
The blood rushed in Sara's ears, and she suddenly found herself lunging at him. She aimed her bo staff to come down on the nape of his neck, but then he wasn't there. Sara stumbled as her momentum brought her down, but she caught herself in time.
Her eyes searched to and fro, but Darhk had disappeared. Still, she didn't have time to waste. Snart was taking his sweet time with Nate, but it wouldn't be long before he pulled the trigger.
Sara tightened her grip on her staff and rushed to his aid. She made sure she approached silently from behind, her staff poised just above the center of his head.
Her muscles tensed, and then she swung. It smacked against his skull and he didn't even have a chance to yell out in shock before he collapsed to the ground in an unconscious heap.
"Th-thanks," Nate stuttered out, scrambling to his feet.
"Don't mention it." Sara responded quickly. "Help the others and…" She gestured to Snart. "Take him to the Waverider when you've finished."
Before Nate could say another word, Sara stormed away and approached Mick's motionless form. "Rory." She jostled his shoulder. No response. "Rory." She slammed a fist down on his unmoving chest. "Mick." Sara continually repeated his name over and over again, trying to force air back into his lungs.
"Wake up!" With one final thrust on Mick's chest, a gasp of air escaped his lips and his eyes snapped open. Sara let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, relieved.
"Wh…what…?" Mick's voice came out raspy and thin as he struggled to regain his breath. "Wha's goin' on…? I thought…Snart…"
"Yeah…" Sara cut him off. "That's happening." She gestured towards where the battle-weary Nate and Ray were attempting to carry a deadweight unconscious Snart towards the Waverider. Sara was dreading the thought of confronting him when he woke up.
Mick groaned, massaging his forehead. "I thought it was a bad dream or somethin'…"
"Unfortunately not." Sara replied, helping him to his feet. "We're just gonna have to deal with him…somehow."
Mick stumbled, nearly losing his balance. "Aw…sonuvabitch…" He grumbled, wavering on the spot.
"Okay, c'mon, cowboy, let me help." Sara laced her arm around his waist and he threw his around her shoulders. It took a lot of effort from both of them, but they eventually made it to the Waverider.
"Ray!" Sara called out to him. "Can you take Rory to med bay?"
Ray dutifully bounded over and took her place. Sara smirked as she heard Mick's growl of 'That's my foot, haircut' as the two of them continued down the hall. She watched their retreating backs for a moment before she sensed a presence behind her.
"Nate." She said, turning to face him. "Fill me in. What happened?"
He shrugged. "After Darhk beat it, Thawne and Merlyn followed suit. That's about the only reason I could think of for their retreat. They were clobbering us."
"And Snart?"
"Threw him in the holding cell." Nate sounded cautious. Sara suspected that he sensed something had happened between them. "He's still out cold. What should we do?"
"Let me handle him." She responded, beginning to walk away.
"Sara." Nate stopped her. "Ray told me that Snart used to be on the team." She nodded as he paused for clarification. "I understand why he addressed Rory…they were partners, right?" Another nod. Sara already knew what his next question was. "But why did he address you?"
"I guess because I'm the leader now." Sara lied lamely.
"Are you sure?" Nate inquired skeptically. "You seemed pretty spooked when he showed up."
Sara narrowed her eyes and couldn't stop her feet from shuffling awkwardly. When she looked up again, there was a light of realization in Nate's eyes.
"Oh. Oh."
"'Oh', what?" Sara demanded.
"You and Leonard Snart?"
"What? No." Sara was suddenly overly defensive. The relationship she'd shared with Leonard had been kept a secret for the longest time, even from Mick. It was a heavy burden, but it was a burden she planned to keep until the end of her days. She felt that revealing it was selfish, and somehow made their connection less special. Less…real.
"Yes." Nate insisted. "Wow, I thought you were only into the ladies. And I don't mean that in an… offensive…way." His tone was awkward. "But Leonard Snart…from what I've read about him…and what I've seen of him…" He trailed off, studying her. "Huh. I can see it."
"Nate." Sara sighed in defeat. "Yes, we were…romantically involved, in a sense. Not completely, I guess, but somewhat. We both shared mutual feelings, and…" She debated sharing how they'd kissed at the Vanishing Point. She decided against it. That had been the most special moment of all. "…I liked him. But it's not him anymore." Nate dipped his head. "Okay." She exhaled slowly. "And Nate, listen to me. You breathe a word of this to anyone else on the team…I'll make sure to kill you slowly."
Nate snickered lightly, considering her words a bluff, but when he caught sight of her unsmiling face, he swallowed his laughter and nodded vigorously. "Yes, ma'am!"
"Good. And don't call me 'ma'am'." Sara called as she headed down the corridor. She was already around the corner before Nate could utter another word.
Sara's muscles tensed with every step she took. Leonard. She was going to see Leonard again. Was it actually him? The one who'd died? Or…had Darhk and Thawne picked up a younger version of him from the past? A past where he really was just a cold-hearted bastard?
When Sara reached the door leading into the room where Snart was being held, she stood frozen, almost afraid to open it. Eventually, she steeled herself and proceeded to hit the switch that caused the door to slide open.
The first thing Sara noticed as she entered was the silence that shrouded the air. The kind of silence that signified that she was the only conscious person in the room. She was right. Snart still lay motionless on the floor inside the holding cell.
Sara let out a sigh and slid down against the wall. She wrapped her arms around her legs and rested her chin on her knees. Her eyes rested on the unconscious form of the man she'd once loved. Right now, he looked so innocent, just like the Leonard Snart she had known.
"Who are you?" Sara whispered, breaking the overwhelming silence. Those three words were the only ones she could muster without her lip quivering.
So she just waited.
The minute Sara began to notice the subtle signs of stirring that Leonard was showing, she shot to her feet, composing herself. Now she approached the transparent wall of the cell, crossing her arms over her chest.
She crouched down to where Snart's head was just inches away from the glass and rapped her knuckle impatiently against it. His brow furrowed at the noise and she spoke again. "Wakey, wakey." She coaxed. "I don't have all day, Snart."
The second Sara's voice reached his half-conscious ears, Leonard's eyes shot open, he struggled into a sitting position and he was alert. She met those icy blue eyes and Sara felt that familiar longing in her chest that she hadn't experienced since he'd been alive.
But she pushed the feeling away and addressed him as if she wasn't swayed by him. "There he is. Sorry about that whack on the head I gave you, hope it doesn't hurt too bad." She smirked condescendingly and he glowered back at her. All traces of his former complacency had disappeared.
"What do you want from me, Lance?"
"Oh, I just have one tiny question…" She stood and he followed her lead. He spread his arms in mock gentility as a gesture for her to ask away. Sara moved even closer towards the glass until they were nose-to-nose. "What is Darhk planning?"
Snart smiled cruelly. "What makes you think I'd tell you, hmm? Maybe it's being on this ship, travelling through time…it messes with your head."
Sara's blood ran cold. She stared into those unyielding blue eyes she knew so well. The way he'd said that…it made that one memory course through her…
"It's the things I didn't do that keep me up at night." Leonard remarked, making his way towards where Sara sat on the edge of her bed.
"And what's that?" Sara asked, a teasing tone in her voice.
"Oh, I don't know…" He leaned casually against the mattress, just inches away from where Sara was perched. "Maybe it's being on this ship, travelling through time…I've started to wonder what the future might hold for me…and you…" He turned his intense blue eyes to meet hers.
"And me and you."
Sara remembered that day like it was yesterday. Every movement he'd made, every word he'd said. She also recalled the exact way he'd spoken. And that was the same way he'd just said those nine little words…
Maybe it's being on this ship, travelling through time…
Was it just a coincidence? Or was this really the Leonard that she'd loved and lost?
"Is it really you?" She whispered. Snart blinked, caught off guard by her sudden change of subject. "Is it really you?" Sara repeated.
"You've lost me," Snart replied snidely.
"Are you the Leonard Snart that I…we all worked with and knew?"
"So I've heard." He answered, causing Sara's heart to begin pumping faster. "But…unfortunately for you, I'm simply a different man in the same body."
"You…you don't remember?" Sara forced out.
"Precisely." Snart responded. "All of that the 'hero' nonsense…from what I've heard, it was polluting my potential. Gave me feelings." He spoke that word as if it were poison.
Sara smiled, which clearly caused confusion within Leonard. And she knew. It was Leonard. He was in there somewhere…
And she was going to bring him back again.