Today is a momentous occasion. This is my 100TH FIC ON THIS SITE! I first joined in summer 2008, and I never expected to reach such a milestone!
This fic is set vaguely in Season 1, anywhere between 'Left Behind' and 'Leviathan', and I believe I started writing it before the S1 finale. It's not part of any series, just a standalone oneshot.
For those who are following my 'Long Way Home' series, however, I'm pleased to announce that the first chapter of 'The Cold Factor' will be up in 2 days! New chapters will be added weekly every Thursday until June 22 with Chapter 10, at which point I am going to take a brief hiatus, as Chapters 11-19 are nowhere near complete. Hopefully, I will be able to resume posting in early August.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Legends of Tomorrow or The Flash.
WORD COUNT: 7472
"It's quite simple, my friend. Just tell me who you and your friends are, and I shall give you the antidote and let you live."
The former supervillain shut his eyes, trying to block out the harsh light of the bare bulb hanging from the ceiling directly above him, wishing that the pain in his head and his entire body would just stop. But it wouldn't, not on its own, and not for a price he was willing to pay.
They were in 1922. March 13th, 1922, to be exact. Gideon had found evidence that Vandal Savage would be in Boston, Massachusetts at the time, working on some unknown but undoubtedly nefarious project that could only spell trouble. Even though they'd never encountered him in an earlier year, the team was determined to not let him spot them in action, lest that influence his decisions in events in which they had already/would later face him.
God, time travel was confusing.
Stein and Sara had hidden themselves in a crowd during a press conference, not actually paying attention to the event, but knowing that Savage would wind up caught in the background of one photograph that eventually would make it into a newspaper – the very newspaper that Gideon had used to locate Savage. Meaning he would be passing by while the conference was going on. They'd eventually spotted him and managed to tail him to an unassuming office building.
Rather than risk being caught stalking Savage, they'd had Ray shrink down and plant several small, hidden cameras in places no one could stumble onto by accident, and after about a week of observation, they'd had a good estimate of his routine. So one night, after Savage and most of the other workers had left, Rip had sent Snart, Rory, and Sara to break in and investigate.
That was where things had gone wrong.
He could almost swear that he could feel the poison; liquid death flowing through his veins. The pain was excruciating, making his whole body weak and shaky, but he had to tell himself that he'd felt worse than this. His hand, he thought, if he could freeze and shatter his own hand and still run all the way through Nanda Parbat in spite of the pain, he could handle this. He had to.
"SARA!" Her name burst involuntarily from his lips as the blonde assassin fell, a bullet hole in the back of her coat. Mick laid down cover fire while he pulled her into a (thankfully empty) side hallway. She was bleeding, badly. She needed help right away. "Mick, take her! I'll cover you!"
The other man was physically the stronger of the two, so it only made sense that he should carry her. As smoothly as if their partnership had never been broken, they traded places, Leonard firing his own weapon while Mick gathered Sara into his arms.
At his signal, they took off again, Leonard placing himself in between the other two and periodically turning back and shooting to keep the rent-a-cops' heads down. He wished he had his Cold Gun, but Rip had been insistent on using period-appropriate weaponry for this mission. He wouldn't put it past Sara – or Mick, for that matter – to have hidden something extra on them, but the former was busy bleeding while the latter had his hands full carrying her. As it was, Leonard himself had only grabbed a few knives and a spare gun that was a few decades ahead of the times. A spare gun that he was already using after the last one had run out of ammunition.
They were just rounding the last corner when Leonard felt the depressingly familiar pain of a bullet sinking into his left calf, and he found himself crashing to the floor as well. Mick was almost halfway between him and the exit when he seemed to realise that his ex-partner was no longer with them, and turned to look back.
Leonard twisted to look behind him and saw that the guards were gaining on them. Calculations ran through his head; by the time Mick could get to him, they would be close enough for an easy shot, and all three of them would likely die. Leonard himself was screwed no matter what they did, and Sara's only hope was if Mick could get her out of there.
So he made a decision. It was the only logical choice, the one that would result in the fewest lives lost.
"Go!" he shouted, continuing to fire to hold the enemy off a little longer buy Mick just a bit more time, "Get her to Gideon!"
Mick hesitated, just barely, but then turned and continued making his escape. Part of Leonard was admittedly hurt by that; the old Mick wouldn't have been so easily convinced to leave him behind.
He continued pouring lead into the guards approaching until he ran out of ammo, seeing the door swing shut behind his teammates just as they reached him.
The last thing he remembered was a kick to the head before he lost consciousness.
"You're a strong one," Savage was saying, "Most men would have given in and told me their entire life story by now."
Most men weren't members of a time-travelling team hell-bent on stopping an immortal warlord, either, but he wasn't going to tell said warlord that. Instead, he grit his teeth and fought the sounds of pain that were threatening to be heard. He was strong. He could hold out.
He was woken by a slap to the face, lying on a cold, hard floor with his hands bound and pulled above his head. A quick glance around the room showed that he was in a small, plain cell of cement block, with a dark, metal door being the only way in or out and the only light being provided by a single old-fashioned lightbulb hanging overhead. His wrists were trapped in a set of old-fashioned manacles, the short chain of which was looped through a thick metal link attached to the wall.
He also wasn't alone. A brown-haired, brown-eyed, average-looking man in a plain, black uniform was kneeling over him, obviously the source of the slap, but Leonard had to fight down a reaction when he recognised Vandal Savage standing just behind him, his hands clasped behind his back and a smug look on his face.
"Thank you, Mr. Smith, I shall handle this from here."
Mr. Smith. Even his name was plain. Smith obeyed immediately, without the slightest bit of hesitation or question, which was kind of unnerving.
Savage never took his eyes off of Leonard as the minion left the room. "Now, if you would be so kind as to tell me what you and your compatriots were up to tonight…"
"It's quite simple, really. You have plenty of time before the toxin kills you, but you'll be wishing for death long before that point. The relief you desire is but a few answers away."
They'd been at this for many, many hours. Savage had methodically and strategically stuck a blade into him several times, causing minimal bleeding but a ridiculous amount of pain. Unsurprising, coming from someone with four thousand years' experience in torture under his belt. Then, when that had failed to get any response besides a spit in the face (Savage had gone and stuck his thumb into the bullet wound for that), the immortal had decided to get creative. He'd had Smith fetch a syringe filled with some unknown, clear liquid and had injected it into Leonard's neck before taking his leave.
The pain had been bearable at first, but it felt like it was increasing by the minute. His vision was starting to blur, every inch of him was hurting, but he couldn't give in. Besides the fact that he wouldn't, couldn't let Savage know who was after him, he'd grown up learning to endure pain and hardship, to be stronger than anything the world could throw at him. It just wasn't in his nature to break, even if that was warring with his survival instinct. So when Savage came back some time later, he'd told him nothing.
"If that's the way you want to be, we can compromise. Just give me one name, even your own, and I will end it quickly."
He wasn't sure how long it'd been, now. The immortal bastard had been and gone multiple times, asking him the same questions before leaving to let him writhe in pain and 'consider his options'. His breath was coming in harsh, shallow gasps through clenched teeth; he could barely speak as it was. God, he wanted this to stop. But if there was one thing he knew, it was that his teammates were as stubborn as hell, just like him, and they wouldn't willingly leave him to die. Hell, they hadn't been able to leave Carter behind even after he had died, taking a big risk just to retrieve his body. Even if Mick had told them Leonard was probably dead, they wouldn't leave it alone. He had to count on that.
Savage went after the bullet hole again, this time stabbing his knife into it and driving the blade in until it hit the bullet and pushed it all the way to the bone. This time, it was too sudden, too much for Leonard to stop the shout of agony or the tears escaping his eyes.
Then Savage stopped, looking up and towards the door. "My love," he whispered, and Leonard realised through the haze of pain that he'd sensed Kendra's presence. They were coming. Without a second glance at his prisoner, Savage yanked the knife out and swept out the door, barking an order at Smith to stand watch.
Leonard shut his eyes again and tried to ignore the pain, focusing desperately on the sounds of battle that were rapidly approaching his location. It didn't sound like the other 'Legends' had bothered with period-appropriate weaponry this time. He could hear it when they reached the hallway his cell was in. Smith was backing into the room for cover, firing his gun with a panicked look on his face. A small flash of blue zipped past the guard, and suddenly the Atom grew back to full size, kicking him from behind and sending him flying.
At this point, Leonard didn't care that it was the teammate who annoyed him the most who was rescuing him. He just wanted out of there.
Sara was spitting mad. She'd protested against Rory leaving Len behind all the way back to the Waverider, until Rip had stuck that futuristic IV bracelet on her arm and the sedatives Gideon administered put her under. Upon waking up, she'd been informed by Gideon that the rest of the team was on a rescue mission without her. It had already been twelve hours, during which they had had extreme difficulty figuring out where Len had been taken while Ray and Gideon had taken care of her gunshot wound. Rip was apparently on the bridge running mission control, but Sara's attempt to make her own way there had been quickly foiled by the AI activating the restraints on her bed before she could even fully sit up.
She'd spent the better part of an hour and a great deal of energy yelling at Gideon before the AI reported that the rescue mission had been a success, and that the team was boarding the Waverider that very second. She was ready to give Len hell for making them leave him behind, for making her leave him behind, but any harsh words died on her lips when he was carried into the Med Bay by Ray and Mick, with literally the entire remainder of the team on their heels.
He was covered in blood and lacerations of various sizes, his skin an unnatural pale beneath all the red, and was visibly struggling not to scream in pain. Savage had been torturing him. She knew the wounds to be located at points on the body that caused maximum pain without risking the victim dying too quickly. But something else was wrong. Leonard had a disturbingly high tolerance for pain, but he looked to be hurting even more than when he'd lost his hand, and it wasn't just the cuts.
Gideon scanned him as soon as he was placed on the bed next to her, breathing harshly and releasing strangled groans of pain. "Scans show that Mr. Snart is suffering from a bullet wound to the left leg, various lacerations, and mild blood loss. There is also an unknown substance in his bloodstream that appears to be affecting his nervous system. I would advise against administering any sedatives until it is identified."
"We can't give him anything to help with this?!" Kendra asked, gesturing to him.
"Gideon's right, whatever he was dosed with could react with whatever we give him," Ray pointed out, "and not necessarily in a good way. We need to identify the poison first. I'll draw a blood sample."
"Is the bullet still in his leg?" Stein questioned.
Sara tuned out the rest, preferring to focus on her boyfriend. They'd been a secret for a while now; she'd gone to talk to him after Mick's return, knowing he was hurt over the betrayals – both Mick's and his own. She'd been disturbed at how easily she'd returned to her old life as a killer. Before they'd known it, she had spent the night in his room. And the next night, and the night after that. She told him more about the League and the Pit; he related stories about his father and the abuse he'd suffered at the bastard's hands. They opened up to each other more than they had to anyone else, bared their scars both physically and mentally.
His eyes met hers, glazed over with pain. "Sara," he whispered, the corners of his mouth lifting in a weak, relieved smile.
"You idiot," she growled, wincing as her chest flared up in pain from her own still-healing bullet wound, "Why did you do that?!"
"Couldn't let them catch you," he insisted, "You were bleeding out. Your only chance was for Mick to get you out of there." All was hissed between clenched teeth.
"And if you had died?!"
He couldn't answer, because at that moment they were interrupted by Ray coming in between them, armed with a syringe. "Okay, this is probably going to hurt – well, more, anyway, but I need to get a blood sample if I'm going to get or make an antidote for whatever poison's in you."
"Savage has it," Len said between breaths, "He said he'd… give it to me if… if I gave him information."
"And did you- wait, no, of course you didn't. You're too stubborn for that, and obviously he didn't give you an antidote." Ray was exceedingly gentle as he drew the blood, though a bit surprised by the utter lack of reaction from Len, at least beyond what he was already showing. He capped off the needle and left the room, and it was only then that Sara noticed that everyone else save for Stein was also absent. The professor was pulling on a pair of latex gloves and gathering medical supplies.
"What are you doing?" Sara asked, since Len didn't seem to be in any position to.
"Gideon won't be able to remove the bullet herself, and she can't heal the wound until it's out. With Raymond working on identifying the toxin, I'm one of the few remaining who are qualified. Everyone else has left because… well, I don't believe they need to see this."
And Len sure as hell wouldn't want anyone seeing him at a moment of weakness. It was bad enough that he needed Stein's help just to roll onto his side so that the older man could have better access to the bullet hole. Sara tried to sit up, but was held back by the restraints that were still on her. "Gideon, let me go!" she near-begged in the direction of the ceiling, "I swear, I just need to sit up."
It was only when Stein assured the AI that he would intervene if she tried anything more strenuous that Gideon released her. He even helped her lift herself into a sitting position, something that was more tiring than she'd expected. Then she leaned over as far as she dared and stretched her left hand towards Len.
With only a hesitant glance in Stein's direction, he shakily reached out to grab it, gripping her fingers tightly.
Sara did her best to hold back tears as he tried and failed to contain a scream of pain as Stein carefully extracted the metal projectile from his leg. His hand contracted in a vice-like grip around hers. Gideon got to work right away, bathing her patient in weird blue light that started to close up all his visible wounds. There was no way to prevent scarring; this treatment only accelerated the body's natural healing process. Stein left after putting gauze and bandage on the bullet wound anyway, leaving the secret couple alone.
He'd expected Sara's anger. She was just as opposed to leaving teammates behind as he was, never mind someone she was close with. And she was close to him, as much as he'd tried to fight it at first. He knew he'd be just as angry if he'd been in her place.
"How's your back?" he asked, trying to ignore how much pain he was in right now. It wasn't easy; it felt like he had acid or lit gasoline in his blood. Every nerve ending seemed to be on fire. Even after Stein left, he still kept a sweaty grip on her hand, needing the contact, which was ironic, considering how he usually avoided it to prevent pain.
"Gideon patched me up, but apparently I'm still confined to bed rest for a while. I did get shot." Her eyes narrowed, "As did you, among other things."
"I survived."
"For now." Her eyes glistened with unshed tears. "We don't know what Savage put in you, Len. It could kill you!"
"I'm aware of that. He said it would take a while, but it would kill me eventually." He grimaced against another spike of pain, one that racked his entire body. It was getting worse. The pain hadn't been as intense when Savage had first stabbed him with that damn syringe. He wished he'd told them about it earlier, when they'd been back wherever it was that he'd been held. Leonard tried to fight it, but the moans of pain still managed to escape his lips.
"We'll find the antidote," she promised, her voice breaking slightly, "We have to. Okay, we have some of the best minds in history on this ship, Len, so if an antidote exists, they will find it!"
He knew her sudden turn to optimism was for his benefit, to try and keep his spirits up, but Leonard Snart did not do optimism. He was far too jaded for that, and so was she, for that matter.
The Med Bay door hissed as it slid open, and Kendra entered. Leonard and Sara let go of each other's hands automatically upon her appearance. Now was probably not the best time to announce their relationship to the rest of the team. But apparently they weren't quite quick enough, because Kendra looked back and forth between them with a look of dawning comprehension on her face. Then she shook herself slightly and got back to what she'd come in for. "Gideon's identified the toxin. It's some kind of drug that overloads the pain centre in the brain. It doesn't wear off; the victim experiences overwhelming pain until their heart gives out from stress. Apparently it's also what Vertigo is derived from."
"I've heard of Vertigo," Sara spoke up, "It's a drug that popped up in Starling City. It's supposed to be some sort of… floaty high, not this."
"Ray says it's a… prototype of the purest form of Vertigo. The street variant was a diluted version." Then she hesitated.
Leonard just knew there was bad news. "Just spit it out," he groaned.
Kendra looked briefly taken aback, but continued. "Well, Gideon was right about not giving you a sedative. This particular toxin would have reacted with anything we have on hand to create a deadly mix. It would kill you instantly. Also, there's no record of an antidote existing in this time. Savage was probably bluffing about having one, to try and trick you into talking."
He couldn't look at the expression of horror he just knew Sara was wearing, and simply closed his eyes. "Lying bastard," he muttered.
The next several hours were torment for everyone. Snart was getting worse; his ability to contain his pain was slipping as the agony increased. His cries could be heard from the laboratory located down the hall, where Ray and Stein were frantically working on an antidote. Sara had convinced Kendra to help her out of her bed and into a chair beside Leonard's so that she could be closer to him. Rip searched the timeline with Gideon to try and find some hint of what Savage had been up to, so that the disaster of a mission wasn't an entire waste, and perhaps to find a clue regarding an antidote. Mick, Kendra, and Jax were left with worried pacing and periodically checking in on the two scientists to the point that it could be considered harassment.
Eventually, they had a breakthrough, but it was not all good news. While the Waverider could manufacture already existing compounds, it could not create new substances. And while Ray and Stein had come up with a formula for an antidote, the ship could not create all the necessary components. The best place from which they could get the last few components was S.T.A.R. Labs, in the year 2016. The question became: how could they get it without time-jumping and putting Snart's life at risk?
In the end, they decided to go for it. His condition was only getting worse, not better, and while time-jumping carried a great risk of killing him, staying in this time and doing nothing definitely would.
Unbelievably, the first thing out of his mouth when he was told about the decision was a query about if Sara would be okay after the time-jump. Stein and Kendra weren't surprised in the slightest, and neither was Mick. Everyone else gave him weird looks, but assured him that Sara was in safe enough condition for time-travel.
Snart and Sara were both secured in their respective beds, while Stein sat in a Jump Seat that folded out of the Med Bay wall, in order to be on hand as soon as they landed. While strapped down in their beds, they couldn't reach each other's hands, but they never took their eyes off each other.
As the Waverider shot through the time stream, his face twisted in pain, unwanted tears escaping his eyes, and his mouth clamped shut until he could no longer contain his agonised screams.
When they landed in 2016, everyone rushed to the Med Bay, concerned when the screams didn't stop. Stein was trying to convince Sara to not break out of her restraints while also trying to communicate with Snart, who was thrashing around in pain, apparently unaware of everything else going on around him.
"Get to S.T.A.R. Labs!" Rip ordered, "Now! Tell them it's an emergency! Dr. Palmer, Professor Stein, get started on what you can for that antidote!"
Jax and Kendra turned on their heels and raced for the exit hatch, while the scientists made tracks for the lab. Rip finally agreed to let Sara move back into her chair and hold Leonard's hand while he screamed in agony. Mick stared at the whole scene for a good minute before punching the wall and storming out of the Med Bay.
When Jax and Kendra arrived at S.T.A.R. Labs, they were both ready to keel over breathless, Jax limping and clutching at his bad knee. Thankfully, they were buzzed in quickly, and met with the concerned faces of Caitlin, Cisco, and Barry. "What's wrong?" Barry asked, "I thought you guys were on a trip through time, or something."
"We are," Jax wheezed, "We need these." He held out the list Ray had written for him.
Caitlin took the paper and read the list over. "Why… why do you need these drugs?"
"Ever hear of Vertigo?" Kendra asked.
"The street drug?"
"Yeah, that. Apparently Vandal Savage was involved in the creation of its prototype, and he used to use it to torture people, since the pure version causes intense pain, and doesn't let up until they die from the strain on their heart. We need those medications to mix up an antidote, the sooner the better."
"Why? Has someone been dosed?" Cisco asked, even as Caitlin ran off to her lab.
"Yeah," Jax confirmed, "He got Snart. Stabbed him more than a few times, beforehand, too."
"What? Snart? You want us to help the bad guy?"
"Snart's not the bad guy, anymore," Kendra protested, "He's saved nearly everyone's life at one point or another, and the only reason Savage even got his hands on him was because he stayed behind so that Rory could get Sara back to the Waverider when she was shot. And I dare you to refuse to help after you see the state he's in right now. They tortured him even before they stuck him with the toxin!"
"We can't even give him anything to dull the pain," Jax added, "because it'll react badly to what's already in his system. He was screaming in pain by the time we left."
Despite his serious dislike of Leonard Snart, Cisco was looking sick by the time Caitlin got back, vials in hand. Barry offered to run them to the Waverider to cut down on time, so Kendra told him where to find the ship, and he was off in a flash of lightning, blowing papers all over the room.
Barry wasn't at all prepared for what he saw. First he was greeted at the entrance to the flying time ship by a scowling Mick Rory, who grunted and gave him quick directions to the lab when Barry held up the vials in offering (Barry wouldn't even realise until much later that he'd shown his face to Rory without even thinking about it). Stein and Ray had thanked him for the delivery and then all but kicked him out so they could work. With nothing else to do, Barry followed the screams to the Med Bay.
Snart's clothes were stained all over with blood, the pools of the crimson liquid on the floor below him still tacky. His face was stark white and drenched with sweat, twisted in the most agonised expression Barry had ever seen as he screamed and convulsed on the bed. Only the grey straps holding him in place kept him from falling onto the floor. Barry could barely hear the wild beeping of the heart monitor over his sometimes-nemesis's cries.
In fact, he was so transfixed by the heart-wrenching sight that it took him a full minute to notice the blonde woman sitting at Snart's bedside. Her own clothes were bloodied, her face drawn and pale, but she was sitting up and clutching Snart's hand, using her free hand to stroke his face comfortingly, for all the good it was doing.
She was staring at him; she probably had been since he'd entered. Her body language screamed protectiveness, despite the fact that she clearly wasn't at her best, health-wise. "Who are you?" she finally asked, her voice scratchy.
"Ah, Barry. I'm Barry Allen. The Flash. Jax and Kendra sent me over with the drugs Ray and Stein needed so they could get the antidote done as soon as possible."
The blonde relaxed a bit at his words. "Thank you." Her voice was quiet; Barry couldn't actually hear her over the screaming and had to resort to lip-reading to know what she said. Then she went back to watching Snart, her lips moving in what had to be soft murmurs of comfort, and it struck Barry that her actions were those of someone who really, really, cared for the man before her. Loved him, even.
That thought was… unexpectedly heartwarming. For all the horrible things he'd done, it'd become apparent that Leonard Snart had suffered a lot of terrible things at the hands of others. It was good to see that someone on this team was willing to give him the care he'd been denied.
Not that it seemed to be doing him any good now. Snart was still screaming and sobbing in pain, his eyes unfocused and unseeing in his agony-induced haze. Barry wondered if the other man was even aware of their presence. The sight of him in so much pain – the sight of anyone in so much pain – was almost unbearable.
Caitlin, Cisco, Kendra, and Jax arrived soon after. Cisco paled at the sight before him, and Caitlin clapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes filling with tears. "How could anyone do this to another person?" she asked in despair.
Everything was pain. There was nothing else, just sheer agony, a fire that consumed his entire body and mind. He just wanted it to end.
He tried to distract himself with thoughts of Sara. Of the fact that she was okay. Of her smile, of the card games they played together, of anything that could take his mind off the pain. But his thoughts had become like smoke; impossible to hold onto, no matter how hard he tried.
When the pain finally began to recede, he didn't even notice it, at first. But slowly, other things began to permeate the haze: the cooling numbness flowing through his veins, a small, calloused hand gripping his, and a voice calling out to him. "Leonard? Len, can you hear me?"
Sara. He thought he said her name aloud, but he couldn't tell. The pain was descending, but it wasn't going away completely, and his throat was raw from screaming. Leonard hadn't even realised that he'd stopped screaming.
He heard a strange sound on his right, a cross between a sob and a laugh. "Thank God. It worked."
It was then that it occurred to Leonard that his eyes were closed. It took far more effort than it should, but he slowly opened them, his gaze immediately drawn to Sara's face. She was smiling and crying at the same time.
"You're going to be okay," she told him, "We've got the antidote; another minute, and Gideon will be able to give you some real painkillers. Recovery's going to be a bitch, but if anyone can get through it, it's you."
"You're gonna be fine, Snart." Another voice came from his other side, but Leonard was mortified to realise that he didn't have the strength to even turn his head to look. He was as weak as a newborn kitten, his body as limp as a rag doll. Internally, he began to panic, wondering who was nearby, out of his line of sight and while he was weak and vulnerable. He trusted Sara enough to not hurt him, even to protect him on those rare instances when he needed it, but that was about it. The only other people he'd trusted like that were Lisa and Gramps, back when the old man had been alive. Even Mick hadn't earned that level of trust. Thankfully, the person in question moved into view; it was Barry fucking Allen.
"Barry?" His voice barely came out as a raspy whisper, his throat protesting the action. "How…" He couldn't speak any further; it was too painful, too exhausting.
"Captain Hunter had to time-jump you guys back to 2016 to get the final components for the antidote," Barry explained, "Do you remember that?"
Leonard had vague memories of preparing for a time-jump, of the fact that that was what had caused his pain to skyrocket well beyond tolerable levels. He tried to nod, and was ridiculously proud of himself for managing a small jerk of the head.
Sara pressed a gentle kiss to his fingers – ignoring the dried blood and the fact that Barry was standing right there – and spoke again: "The S.T.A.R. Labs crew gave us what we needed, and Stein and Ray were able to mix the antidote up; with Caitlin's help, they were even able to cut down on the time it took. We'll have to stay for a few days before returning to the mission, and you'll be off missions for a while until you're fully recovered."
It wasn't as simple as just administering the antidote; the physical stress caused by the pain had taken its toll on Leonard's body. As soon as the toxin was completely neutralised, Gideon had drugged him to the gills and had him sleeping through the worst of the after-effects. Sara was cleared to leave the Med Bay the following day, but she only took a quick shower and changed her clothes before returning to sit at Leonard's side. She didn't leave the Med Bay except for bathroom breaks; Stein and Kendra would show up around mealtimes to make sure she had something to eat; Kendra even brought in Sara's pillow and blanket so that she could sleep more comfortably on the second medical bed. Nearly everyone else was a bit baffled by her behaviour, aside from Mick and Barry.
There wasn't much else for her to do besides clean the dried blood off his body with the wet rags Gideon provided. The others would pop by, mainly Mick, Kendra, and Ray, as Team Flash had their own things to take care of, Jax and Stein had gone to be with their families, and Rip was holed up in his study, looking for the next time and place they could locate Savage in.
Len was finally taken off the sedatives about twelve hours after Sara had been cleared. He'd been sleeping for nearly two days straight, yet it still took him another couple of hours to wake up. The first sign that he was drifting towards consciousness was when he started groaning and wincing. Sara was already gripping his hand, but now she squeezed it more tightly. "Len? Leonard, can you hear me?"
The brief tightening of his fingers around hers was his answer. Then, with a soft, tired sigh, his eyes fluttered open, flicking around the room, briefly before settling on her. "…Sara." His voice was still hoarse, but it wasn't that terrifying rasp it had been two days ago. He tried to sit up, but his movements were shaky, and he flopped back down rather ungracefully.
"Take it easy. You're still pretty weak from the toxin and the time-jump. Is there anything you need?"
"Water?"
Sara immediately turned to the supplies that had been put together while Leonard slept, including a bottle of water and a complete change of clean clothes – he was still in the blood-soaked clothing he'd been wearing in the 1920s. "Gideon, can you raise the bed to a sitting position?"
Gideon silently complied, moving the bed/chair so that Leonard could sit up and drink without worrying about choking. Sara didn't laugh when, to his obvious embarrassment, his hands shook from the effort of just lifting the bottle to his lips. He drank greedily, having not had a single sip since before sneaking into Savage's building. "How long?" he asked when he was done, his voice sounding less terrible than it had minutes before.
"You've been asleep for about two days. We're still parked in 2016, and we won't be leaving until Gideon clears you for a time-jump." She reached up and cupped his face with her free hand. "It was really close," she whispered, "Gideon said your heart wouldn't have held out much longer against the strain. Ray was talking about working up a portable heart monitor for when you're allowed to get out of here; I don't see any missions for you in the near future."
Len groaned. "Don't need anyone monitoring me twenty-four-seven."
"You nearly died, Len. You spent hours in here doing nothing but screaming and thrashing around on this bed. And you can't even sit up on your own, right now. Just be glad that you're alive, for now, okay?"
When word got out that Leonard was awake, the Med Bay was promptly flooded by their teammates, all crowding Leonard and telling him how glad they were that he was okay. Even the members of Team Flash popped in to check on him. It started to get to be a bit overwhelming for Leonard, so Sara eventually kicked them all out so that she could help him change into clean clothes.
Their varied reactions were rather amusing. Since Mick, Stein, Kendra, and Barry had already figured them out, those four met the announcement with knowing smiles (or smirks, in Mick's case). Jax. Caitlin, and Rip looked back and forth between the pair in confusion before looks of dawning comprehension appeared on their faces. Cisco's reaction was the most amusing ("What- You- and you- WHAT?!"). Ray took the longest to get it, innocently questioning why Mick didn't volunteer to help Snart get undressed and redressed, and even offering to do it himself, which was met with a scathing glare from Leonard.
The following morning, Mick walked into the Med Bay with an unknown brunette in tow; Sara automatically went for one of her ever-present knives when the unfamiliar woman launched herself at her boyfriend with a cry of "Lenny!" and hugged him tightly.
Leonard barely had the strength to hug her back, and certainly not enough to pry her off himself, not that he tried very hard. "Lisa…"
Right. This was his sister. Not a threat.
"What the hell happened, Lenny? Mick calls me out of the blue, saying something about time-travel and that you got hurt, but he doesn't say much else. Then, when I get back to Central, he takes me to a goddamn spaceship, and here you are, and you look like shit. What is going on?" Lisa was right to say that her brother looked terrible; he was still pale, still looked like he hadn't been sleeping or eating, and his grip on her was weak and shaky. It was just a good thing that he'd changed out of his bloody clothes, and that the ones he was wearing covered up all the visible injuries.
Sara raised an eyebrow at Mick. "You didn't tell her everything?"
Mick just shrugged. "Figured seeing is believing."
Finally, Lisa pulled away, allowing her brother to explain: "Long story short, Lis, I got hired by a career time-traveler for a job, got caught by our target in the twenties, and he did a number on me, so the team had to bring me here to help me recover. But I promise you: the worst is over."
Lisa sighed in relief. "So, as soon as you're recovered enough, you're done with the job?"
Leonard blinked, briefly made eye contact with Sara, then turned his gaze to the floor. "Lisa… I can't stay."
"What?"
"The job isn't done. Far from it. I'm not leaving the team until we're finished."
"But- But, Lenny, look at you! Whatever you're going after cannot be worth this! And why the hell would you work with a bunch of heroes, anyway? Yeah, I saw Cisco and Dr. Snow on the way here. So I know the Flash is involved. What the hell is going on with you, Lenny?"
Sara cleared her throat. "It's hard to ex-"
Lisa whipped her head around to glare at her. "Excuse me! This is a family matter. Get out!"
Sara wasn't sure whether or not she should leave, but Leonard, taking her hand, made her decision for her. "Things have changed, Lisa," he insisted tiredly, "Our target… he made it personal. He killed another member of the crew. You know I don't sit back and just let that sort of thing go."
His sister bit her lip. "I know that." Her eyes darted to Leonard and Sara's joined hands. "Is that the only reason?"
"…No. I'm not quitting and leaving this team in the lurch. I'm… I'm not leaving Sara."
Lisa scowled. "What? You're staying in this insanity because of a girl?! How long have you even known her? This isn't like you, Lenny!"
"It's… it's complicated, okay, Lisa? It's not something I can just explain over the course of a few minutes!" He paused, visibly calming himself before continuing to make his point more quietly. "My point is that things have changed. A lot. I know it can't be easy for you, finding it all out at once, but I promise you that not all of these changes are bad."
His sister eyed his and Sara's hands again. "I… Are you sure about this, Lenny? Really sure?"
"I am, Lis. I know it's hard to believe, but I don't… I don't think I've been so sure of anything in a long time."
They spent a total of five days in their home time period before Rip lost any patience with waiting and insisted that they had to get back to their mission. Leonard still needed help to walk to the bridge, but he insisted that he would be making time-jumps in a Jump Seat with the rest of them rather than strapped to a bed in the Med Bay.
Lisa had not been fully convinced of her brother's decision to stay with the team, but just convinced enough to stop fighting him on it. Just earlier that day, she'd cornered Sara and threatened her if Leonard were to get hurt again. But other than that, she'd parted on good terms with the Legends (with some prodding from her brother).
Everyone beamed as Leonard entered, leaning on Sara and being trailed by a hovering Mick. "Look who's finally out of the Med Bay!" Jax cheered.
"I'll be deliriously happy to never set foot in that room ever again," Leonard responded as he and Sara made their way over to their seats. Nobody argued; they had all heard his rather loud complaints about being confined to the Med Bay for days on end during his recovery.
Rip smiled, clearly glad to be resuming the mission. "Well. Now that we're all here, let's pick up where we left off, shall we? During our time here, I've located another lead on Savage in Victorian England."
"Oh, joy," Sara drawled sarcastically. She was even starting to sound like Snart.
Leonard smirked as he pulled the harness down over his head. "Just imagine the look on the face of whichever man inevitably pisses you off enough to beat the crap out of him." The small, contemplative grin growing on her face suggested that Sara did just that.
Rip sighed. "I don't know why I even bother expecting you people to behave yourselves. Right, then. Let's go." He hit the throttle, sending them to their next destination.
THE END