Been a little while for me with writing, not easy to write stuff when all your shows are either going heavily dark, or completely soiling themselves into oblivion...

Started writing this after 'Eleven-fifty-nine' and it goes AU for Arrow from then on out. Also AU for Flash before the events of 'Verses Zoom' and Legends of Tomorrow post 'Marooned'. Also references the Flash/Supergirl cross over.

This was tough to write, wanted to try and get it as good as possible, but I know that emotions and feelings are high from what happened. All I ask is that you stay respectful in any reviews (AKA, please don't slag anyone off).

The West home was loud and jovial. After the last few weeks intensity, Joe West had insisted on the team taking a night to relax. He knew they were slowly working themselves to the bone, Barry Allen almost non stop to become faster so he could beat Zoom.

Pizza and board games may seem like a strange evening for many young people, but the chance to be normal for a few hours had seen Cisco Ramon and Caitlyn Snow eagerly joining in the fun.

'How the hell is that guy always late?' Cisco glanced up to find a bottle of beer hovering by his head, Iris West frowning as she plopped to the floor beside him, handing her half brother Wally another bottle.

'Kinda ironic really,' Caitlyn giggled, the beer already hitting her.

'Why?' Wally asked, confusion in his voice as the doorbell rang.

'I'll get it,' Joe dropped the hand towel on the table, waving Cisco off and walking over to the front door. The warm smile crumbled from him when the door opened and he saw the devastation on Barry's face.

'Bear?' Iris shot to her feet and hurried across the room, wrapping her arms around his chest, 'What's wrong?'

'Felicity just called me,' Barry's voice was thick, his arm curling around Iris' back, Caitlyn gripping his hand, 'She said...she... Um...'

'Sit down Barry,' Iris released Barry and lead him to the couch. Sitting down, Barry propped his head in his hands, Iris and Caitlyn sitting either side of him.

'Laurel... Laurel was killed earlier tonight.'

The air left the room at the quiet statement.

'No... No...' Cisco flinched as though he'd been punched in the gut, his face paling drasticly. He stood, pacing behind the single seater where Joe was sat, The father silent as he immediately thought about Quentin. The two men had stayed in touch since finding the real Harrison Wells' body and he knew how he would feel if anything happened to Iris.

'What happened?' Iris gripped Caitlyn's hand, the woman weeping softly.

'Wally,' Barry turned to the newest member of the family, 'I need you to promise me right now that what I tell everyone stays between us. I don't exactly have permission to let you in on this, but you are a member of this family and, by extension, this team.'

'You can trust me,' Wally sat forward on the footstool he'd perched himself on.

'Good,' Barry gathered his courage together, his hands shaking, 'Felicity didn't tell me much, but the team were dealing with Darhk again. He caught an arrow from Oliver and stabbed Laurel through the chest with it. She died about an hour ago.'

A loud bang made the room jump, heads jerking to where Cisco stood facing the wall, his fist half in the shattered plaster, 'I'll fix that.'

'Caught the arrow?' Caitlyn cocked her head, 'But I thought he was de-powered?'

'I'm not sure,' Barry shook his head, 'Felicity was obviously upset, but she said something about a totem and a betrayal.'

'I wanna go to Star City,' Cisco flexed his scratched fingers, his eyes steely, 'they'll need our help to stop that frakker.'

'I already offered,' Barry sat up, 'Felicity tried to convince us to stay here because of Zoom, but all the breaches are closed and Wells can monitor the locations remotely as he tries to find Jessie. I told her we'll be in Star tomorrow.'

'I didn't understand a word of that,' Wally took in the expressions around him, 'But you all do... What gives?'

'This secret I do have permission to spill as I'm the one it's about,' Barry's face softened slightly, the excitement of showing off his abilities taking the edge of his grief, if for only a few minutes, 'I'm the Flash.'

'And I'm the Easter bun... Oh,' Wally stared in amazement as Barry zipped into the kitchen and returned with a bottled drink, all in the space of 2 seconds, '...okay then... How?'

'Captain Hunter,' GIDEON's voice filled the room, Rip Hunter's head jerking out of the pillow, 'There's been a development.'

'What is it?' Rip stumbled out of bed, grabbing his pistol instinctively, 'What' happened.'

'It appears our meddling in time has started to create ripples,' GIDEON announced, 'And one of the ripples affects a member of this crew. I've been assimilating the timeline data we recovered from the Acheron and I've come to realise that Dinah Laurel Lance's date of passing has changed from the one we had in our old timeline. I'm afraid that in the April of 2016, Ms Lance was killed during a confrontation with a Mr Damien Darhk. My systems have flagged the incident as a level 52. We cannot alter it.'

'Shit,' Rip hung his head, 'Where is our Ms Lance?'

'Currently asleep and dreaming of a night with a very flexible raven haired assassin' GIDEON explained.

'I really need to shut down your dream sensory systems GIDEON,' Rip groaned, 'There are some thing that should remain private. Please wake Sara and have her come to my office. Ensure the rest of the crew are unable to enter unless it's an emergancy.'

'Yes Captain.'

'What was so important that you had to wake me from a particularly good dream?' Sara grumbled as she flopped into a chair in Rip's office.

'One of the dangers of being a Time Master,' Rip started, keeping his voice calm and gentle, 'Is that our actions can create ripples in the timeline. The wrong person killed in, say, 1990 and a revolutionary piece of technology like GIDEON will never exist.'

'Okay?'

'When we encountered the Acheron,' Rip continued, 'We were able to update our timeline. GIDEON has discovered an alteration.'

'Sara,' Rip watched the colour drain from her face, 'I'm afraid that the Acheron's timeline lists your sister Laurel being killed over thirty years earlier than the Waverider's timeline.'

'What...?' Sara's chin started to shake, 'No... No no no...'

'What's going on?' Ray Palmer poked his head out his cabin, spotting Snart sprinting towards him, and winced at the distant screams.

'Sara's in trouble,' Snart barely faltered in his steps, disappearing around the corner. Ray ducked back into his cabin to find Kendra holding his dressing gown. Throwing it on, he quickly made his way towards the source of the screaming.

'Take us back!' Sara was screaming at Rip, Snart holding her back from attacking the former Time Master. A string of Arabic followed before Sara returned to English, 'This is a time ship! We can go back!'

'What's going on?' Ray was taken aback by the tears in Martin's eyes.

'I'm afraid GIDEON has discovered via the Acheron's timeline data,' Martin winced at the loud scream from the assassin, 'That Sara's sister died much earlier than she would have done before we started this mission.'

'L-Laurel? Laurel's dead?' Ray stumbled.

'Oh my God,' Martin hung his head, his fingers rubbing his forehead, 'I'm so sorry, I didn't realise that you must have known her as well from your association with the Arrow team.'

'What happened?'

'I'm afraid Ms Lance's sister succumbed to an embolism,' GIDEON answered, causing Sara to scream louder, 'An hour or so after she was stabbed in the chest by a Mr Damien Darhk using an arrow belonging to Oliver Queen.'

'Shit...' Ray turned to a visibly upset Rip, 'But this is a time machine...'

'There are moments in time,' Rip scrubbed at his face, 'That are so important that they can never be altered. Kennedy's assassination, 9/11, Adam Sandler winning the 2019 Oscar for best actor, Adolf Hitler's rise to power, Oliver Queen being stranded on Lian Yu. These are all moments that, if changed would cause enough damage to the timeline that it could result in a rupture in the fabric of Time and Space.'

'The death of Ms Lance's sister has become such a moment,' Rip explained, 'The fallout of her murder is almost infinite. The actions of the vigilante team she was a part of...'

'Team Arrow,' Ray muttered.

'Team Arrow,' Rip repeated, 'Are fixed moments of time themselves and now have consequences for decades, if not centuries afterwards. We cannot prevent her death, as much as I wish we could. The Justice League of America is too integral to history to risk saving one life, no matter how important they are to members of my crew,' Rip turned to a sobbing Sara, 'I'm so sorry Sara. If there was any chance of being able to save Laurel's life, we would be travelling to that precise moment already.'

'When can we safely enter the timeline?' Martin asked.

'Three days after her death,' Rip replied, 'Laurel Lance is laid to rest and documents from that day show that we all attended the funeral. A few hours before that is safe for us to arrive.'

'When can we leave?'

The old campaign office had been Thea's idea for the wake. The location enabling the team to slip away easily if a situation arose, but meant they could host all those that knew and loved Laurel.

'I'm so sorry,' Barry stepped beside Sara, who was standing watching her mother regale the remaining crowd with tales of Laurel's escapades when she was younger.

'Thank you,' Sara turned and hugged Barry, burying her face in his shoulder, 'this wasn't meant to happen.'

'It never is,' Barry sighed, his mind thinking of his mother as he frowned at the glare Snart was sending him.

'No.. You don't understand,' Sara pulled back, scrubbing a hand over her face, 'The waverider, the time ship I've been on, had a timeline stored in it's memory banks. We came across another ship with an updated timeline and it was different. Laurel was meant to live for another 30 years. Time fought back against our actions and Laurel died because of us.'

'Don't you dare,' Quentin wrapped his arms around his daughter, feeling her shudder against him, 'You didn't do this. If anyone in this family is to blame then it's me.'

'Balderdash,' Lance blinked at Snart's retort, the man seemingly appearing from nowhere, 'The blame for all this rests on one man's shoulders and they don't belong to you. A few months ago I was forced to help my father commit a crime...'

'I may be suspended,' Lance glared, 'But I'm still a Police captain. Do you want to keep talking?'

'Dad...' Sara sighed.

'My father threatened my sister's life if I didn't help him,' Snart shifted on his feet, discomfort flowing from him, 'I should have stopped him, turned him down and walked away. I stayed, I helped him and Lisa almost died because of it. Sara told me you were given a similar threat and you acted in fear for Laurel's life. Nobody, especially anyone in this room, can hold you accountable for what happened.'

'What the hell did you do to him?' Barry blurted, eyes wide at Sara's face.

'Events change people Barry,' Snart quietly answered, taking the empty glass from Sara's hand and walking away for a refil.

'You all know why we're here,' Oliver Queen stood at the circular table, steely eyes taking in the group gathered around the shiny surface, 'and despite my heavy reservations, I know none of you will accept anything but being included in what happens next. Damian Darhk must be stopped.'

'Clearly,' Oliver glanced at the image of Laurel's smiling face over the canister that contained her spare Canary suit, his throat going dry with his grief, 'I can't... I can't guarantee your safety...'

'I don't care, I'm in,' Cisco vowed solemnly, Caitlyn nodding next to him.

'Same here,' Roy Harper lifted the hand that had been around Thea Queen's shoulder, 'I'm dead already... Technically. Can't kill a dead guy...'

'You'd be surprised kid,' Mick Rory growled.

'Husband,' Nyssa rolled her eyes at Oliver, something she'd only started doing since rescuing Sara from the North China Sea, 'We are all here knowing the risks. Defeating Damian Darhk will not be easy, but it is a feat we will be able to achieve if we combine our talents.'

'We have a wide range of knowledge around this table,' Oliver glanced at the various faces, 'technology, sciences, combat, manufacturing and law. If we work together as Nyssa says, we can defeat him.'

'We will defeat him,' Quentin added quietly, 'For Laurel.'

'For Laurel and for every innocent person Darhk has corrupted, attacked or murdered,' Oliver placed his hand on Diggle's shoulder, the former soldier silent as he fought with the guilt over Laurel's death.

'Revenge...' Snart added.

'No,' Sara shoved her elbow into his gut, 'Not revenge. Laurel worked for justice her whole life, from both sides of the law. If we do this, we do this for justice.'

'A league of our own against Darhk,' Felicity had stayed mostly silent until then, her own guilt at not being at her post when Laurel died eating away at her, 'all of us, together.'

'A Justice League?' Cisco suggested. Martin glanced over at Rip, finding the former Time Master standing a few feet away with awe shining from his face.

'For Laurel,' Sara gripped her father's hand, glancing at Felicity, 'Justice for Laurel and everyone else Darhk has harmed.'

'This isn't revenge,' Oliver pointed at the elevator doors, 'If you're here to kick ass or kill Darhk, Merlyn or Andy, then get the hell out now. We have to be better than they are if we are to succeed. I said last year that Darhk needed to be fought in the light and I failed in that. Not this time. We will end whatever plans Darhk has for this city and we will do it wearing white hats... No Thea, I know what I meant.'

Thea Queen lowered her finger and closed her mouth.

'We have to be the good guys in this battle,' Oliver sought out Snart and Rory, 'despite our backgrounds,' He turned to Nyssa, 'Laurel spent her life fighting for justice and we have to honor that or we will fail.'

'I've spoken to a friend in Gotham,' Felicity spoke up, 'Apparently Babs says the rumours of the Batman being active again are true, I think we should put the feelers out for his help.'

'I do not believe he will be of any use Felicity,' Nyssa scoffed, 'Nor will he be interested in playing second fiddle to our husband.'

'If he's league trained,' Oliver shook his head, his palm hovering beside a riled Felicity, 'Then he may be a useful ally.'

'Do not say I did not warn you Oliver,' Nyssa huffed.

'I wanna head to National City,' Barry ignored the groan from the rest of his team, 'I know it was Earth-3 and if she's here then she could be very different, but having someone like Kara involved would be a huge advantage.'

'Put the feelers out Barry, but make sure she knows it's voluntary,' Oliver agreed, 'I know of a few people I can reach out to, seeing as John is now freed from hell.'

Martin stepped away from the table, leaving them as different people started suggesting members, seeking out Rip, 'The Justice League of America you said was too important to lose, that starts here doesn't it?'

'Kinda,' Rip shrugged, 'Originally, it starts in about fifteen years after an Alien attack. The heroes that saved the world created their league, but it was flawed. Too many egos and not enough true conviction.'

'We're changing things Dr Stein,' Rip pushed off the wall, 'This here today could be the moment that changes everything. My Justice League failed, but this one... This one has enough motivation to succeed.'

'Will it?' Martin watched the gathered men and women with a sense of hope.

'The loss of a loved one is a strong motivating force,' Rip's mind filled with images of his wife and child, 'Laurel's death, as horrific as it is, will be the glue for this league. They will achieve feats in her name that are mind boggling for them to even consider today. There will be more loss, not everyone in this room survives the coming battle, but each death, each loss unites the league further and I am in awe at witnessing such a historic moment in time.'

'Captain Hunter,' Oliver's voice called gently across the room, 'I know there are things you cannot tell us to keep the timeline intact, but anything you can give us will be very welcome.'

'You don't get to witness history Rip,' Martin smiled warmly at the surprise on the Time Master's face, 'You are a part of it.'

The Lair was dark, the sole lights coming from the single suit canister and a handful of computer screens. Felicity Smoak stood silently by the doors to the elevator, her eyes on her ex-fiancé as he pressed his hand to the closed doors of the Black Canary canister. Oliver's voice was soft, too soft for her to hear what he was saying, but she could feel his pain radiating from his shoulders.

Her feet were moving before she could think them into action, the sneakers she wore near silent on the concrete floor. Felicity saw the twitch in Oliver's shoulders that signalled he knew she was there and she reached out to press her palm against his back, in the hope she could give him some measure of comfort even though she knew nothing would be enough.

'Laurel's dead...' Oliver's cheeks were stained with tears, his eyes red, 'Oh God... She's dead...'

Felicity toppled forward, catching herself before she followed Oliver to the floor. His sobs ripped her apart, the grief spilling from him not just for the woman he'd loved for decades but for everyone that he'd lost since that fateful voyage on the Gambit. All she could do was hold him, her hands rubbing his back, as he fell apart in her arms.

Sara Lance stood on Lian Yu, her eyes filled with tears as she watched the man that murdered her sister descend into the underground prison. She had stood over him, his body broken, and fought with every atom to keep herself from taking his life. The final battle had been hard, she'd watched Mick fall under a hail of gunfire, his final act a sacrifice to keep Sara and a seriously injured Thea from being discovered.

'This won't hold me for long,' Darhk taunted, 'I'll finish what I started and find where you sent my wife and child. Genesis cannot be stopped.'

'Shut the hell up,' Oliver slammed the hatch closed, leaving the tyrant trapped, ironically, in darkness. His talisman was gone, smashed and turned to atoms by Mick's gun.

'Where did you send them?' Snart's hand on Sara's shoulder was strangely comforting, the man irreversibly changed from the brash criminal he'd been when he stepped onto the Waverider, 'Or should i say when?'

'You are correct Len,' Rip grimaced, his shattered arm aching in the sling he wore, 'Damian's wife and daughter are safe in the 25th century, they both live long, fulfilling lives and ultimately die surrounded by family who love them.'

'I'm never going to understand time travel,' Quentin Lance huffed, turning from the hatch and Oliver's embrace with Felicity, 'But I'm glad you did that Hunter.'

'Despite her involvement,' Rip winced, 'I would be no different from Savage if I gave them any other punishment.'

'I take it you'll be heading off soon to continue your mission,' Kara Danvers landed softly beside the group as it disbanded, Lance glaring at Snart leading his daughter away, 'Or will you be sticking around for a bit first?'

'We'll stay for a few days,' Rip replied, 'Kendra's injuries will take at least two days to heal and I cannot in any good moral standing take Sara away from Quentin without allowing the family time to grieve.'

'I would like to join you on your quest,' Kara shifted on her feet, 'With my cousin now in the public eye, I feel the need to find my own path and assisting you and your crew in defeating Savage is, I think, that path.'

'Allow me to consider your request,' Rip's mind started whirring, knowing that Kara's skills would be a useful addition to the crew, 'And I'll answer it before we leave.'

'Thank you,' Kara's long blonde hair whipped around when she heard Kal speak her name from the jet, 'Coming... Sorry Captain, my cousin needs me.'

Walking back to the Waverider, Rip could feel his hopes rising. Darhk was gone, defeated and with him was a serious portion of Vandal's rise to power. For the first time since he started his mission, Rip truly felt that he was going to save his wife and son from their fate.