If you've been reading Alternate Universe then you've probably already come across this chapter. But here it is again anyway. :D

This chapter is a "what if" for a completely different reason than the previous two chapters... and most likely future chapters.
Other chapters, like those first two, assume that official canon is (mostly) intact. They ask "what if my headcanon was real canon" and are written for the express purpose of modifying in-canon scenes to satisfy my own curiosity. Official canon took priority, and those chapters simply changed certain lesser details in order to add my headcanon to the mix.
This one, however, works the other way around. It is based, dependent even, on the premise that canon is not intact at all-the entire story of Alternate Universe is one big "what if" that asks "What if Leonard (and others) never joined Rip Hunter... and Zoom took notice of him?" In this one, the alternate version of events is the story's priority, and the chapter below happens to be one of that story's few attempts to include official canon.

With that, I give you chapter 12 "Three Fronts" of the story Alternate Universe:

In which timelines converge, Jesse still needs to be rescued from Zoom, and Len's control begins to crack.

OOC is Serious Business and all that.

First two sections taken directly from Flash S2E19 "Welcome to Earth-2" and modified as needed to account for the difference in the timeline.
Some changes in dialogue et al were necessary to incorporate the Rogues and League members, some... not so necessary. And one change means I don't need to work out the timing of the Arrow episodes.

All characters seen or mentioned copyright DC, CW, etc.
(FYI, if you haven't been reading Alternate Universe... "Roy" in this context is Roy G Bivolo. Roy Harper has not shown up in that fic, and probably won't unless I come up with an easier way to separate them that doesn't require being inconsistent with the in-narrative naming.)


"29, 28, 27, 26," Cisco counted down. "Come on buddy, just 25 more to go."

Nyssa, clad in blue jeans and a t-shirt, examined a set of x-rays at another computer.

"Any luck with his injuries?" Sara asked.

"Not as such, no," Nyssa replied. "It's rather fascinating, actually. We of the League have always been trained to press on in spite of injuries, to tend to them only as the mission allows or if they imperil our success, but we are no more adept at healing than any other. But this man, Snart... I've never seen anyone recover so quickly." She glanced over to see Leonard watching the monitor over Cisco's shoulder.

The thief looked up to catch her eyes on him, and immediately recoiled. He had barely stopped doing that since Henry had allowed him out of bed.

Nyssa quickly looked away before she risked panicking him again. Fear was a common weapon for the League, but it served no purpose here and would almost certainly interfere with the mission. "Physically recover," she amended. "If Doctor Allen had not provided these documents, I would never have guessed that he had been attacked. Ah, speaking of which... " She glanced at the latest member of their group. "I trust you are recovered as well?"

Thea shrugged. "Still pissed off that you and dad used me as a bargaining chip, but I'll manage."

"Bam!" Cisco called out. "Uh, that's how it's done!"

Thea watched as Barry zipped back into the Cortex, mask down, and tossed the final detonator at Cisco.

"He shoots, he scores!" Cisco said with a laugh.

"Not bad for someone who got a C in gym," Barry said.

"D plus," Caitlin said.

"Straight up F right here," Cisco added.

A smile flickered on Leonard's face.

"I guess maybe I'm a little surprised that you were willing to give Malcolm the Lotus," Thea continued. "Or that he was willing to agree to your suggestion. But with this... imposter lurking around... Enemy of my enemy, right?"

Nyssa scoffed. "Don't be naive," she said. "This cooperation is only temporary. We're not even allies; a common enemy does not make someone a friend."

Thea glanced again at Team Flash and the Rogues.

Shawna and Henry stood together, deep in conversation.

Iris West held one hand out in front of Roy. The metahuman gave her a helpless shrug.

"Idiot." Mick smacked Roy upside the head. "Quit making bets you can't afford to lose. Especially against the ladies." Then he smacked Barry on the shoulder, nearly staggering the speedster, before pushing him towards Leonard with a smile.

It was stress relief, Thea knew, not true camaraderie, but she was impressed just the same.

The only who didn't look happy was Joe, who watched the whole thing with the kind of disapproval that only a parent could manage.

"I'll, uh, try to keep that in mind," Thea said.

"I can't believe it," Leonard said. "You closed all of the breaches? That's impressive, even for you. I sure am glad I didn't bet against Iris."

Barry laughed. "All except the one," he said with a glance at the monitor. "Our last way to Earth-2."

Right on cue, Harry walked into the Cortex. "Ready?"

Leonard's smile vanished.

"Clock's ticking," Harry added.

"It always is," Leonard muttered.

—WHAT IF: ALTERNATE UNIVERSE—

"All right, Barry," Jay said as they walked down to the Pipeline. "Listen to me. You're going to go through the looking glass."

Leonard hung on to Jay's every word. The thief wasn't deluding himself; he knew he couldn't do anything to help, couldn't so much as speed the mission along, but he wanted to know every detail he could get about what Barry was about to face.

But Jay's description was... maddeningly vague.

"You're going to see things that look and feel familiar," Jay continued. "But they're not. Up is down, black is white, do not let yourself get sucked in emotionally. And good luck."

"Look," Barry said. He glanced at Leonard before he turned to address Caitlin and Jay. "If we're not back in 48 hours, that means that Zoom has us. If that happens..." He hesitated, looked at Leonard again, and sighed. "You have to close the breach."

A cry of dismay escaped Leonard's throat before he could stop himself.

"We're not going to do that!" Caitlin protested.

"Barry..." Leonard winced at the whine he heard in his own voice.

Barry looked straight at Leonard. "Snart, I'm sorry. I know I promised, but..." His shoulders slumped. "If you saw anything of use when this guy attacked you, that'd be one thing. But right now all I can do is wait for Oliver's team to find something. And you know how bad speedsters are at waiting."

Leonard stared at the floor. He had seen something, hadn't he? But he'd been confused, disoriented from hypothermia and blood loss. And even now, knowing that Lisa's life was on the line, the very thought of examining that memory filled him with terror.

Barry clapped one hand on Leonard's shoulder. "These guys are doing everything they can to find Lisa," he said. "They have resources I couldn't even dream of; you couldn't have asked for better allies."

Better allies than assassins? Than the same kind of people as the man who'd taken Lisa? "But..." Leonard turned until he could see the other team out of the corner of his eye; Oliver was watching the thief, but he made no effort to interrupt.

"Please, Snart. You have to trust them. If not for your sake, then for Lisa."

"I just..." Leonard forced himself to look at Barry. "Good luck. Go on; go be a hero."

Barry's mouth snapped shut mid-protest. He blinked a few times. "Uh... thanks."

"Go win," Iris added. "And then come back. We'll be waiting for you."

"You get yourself back here in one piece," Joe said. "All right? Don't make me come get you."

Barry smiled, shook his head, and hugged his adoptive father. "No," he replied.

"I wrote this for my parents and Dante," Cisco told Caitlin. He held out a piece of paper. "If I don't come back, make sure he gets them."

"Cisco, you're coming back," Caitlin said.

"Caitlin, please." Tears started to build in the young scientist's eyes.

"Okay. I will."

"Thank you."

Leonard sighed. Can this be any more depressing? He wanted to believe that Barry would come back, that the speedster could help him find and save Lisa, but he'd never been very good at false hope. And their goodbyes, like they knew it'd be forever and just didn't want to admit it... Well, it was certainly important to prepare for the worst, but weren't the good guys supposed to be more optimistic than this?

"Be careful," Caitlin said, as she went from a tearful embrace with Cisco to an equally tearful one with Barry.

"Yeah," Barry replied. "Okay."

Caitlin extracted herself from Barry's arms and walked up to the remaining member of the group. "You too, Harry."

"Snow," Harry replied curtly. He stepped back before she could get any ideas about pulling him into a hug.

Joe caught Harry before he could walk away. "I hope you get your daughter back," the detective said. He shook the scientist's hand.

Harry nodded. "I'll make sure you get your son back," he replied.

Mick stopped Barry before the speedster could approach the breach. "Take care, kid," the arsonist said. "You make sure you get yerself back soon, you hear me? 'Cause if West doesn't come after you, I will."

Barry nodded, ducked his head, and joined Harry by the breach.

Harry refused to look at him. "If I didn't know any better," the older man said, "I'd say you were more worried about leaving him behind than he is."

Barry sighed.

"You don't have to do this," Harry said.

"Yeah, I do," Barry replied.

Barry, Cisco, and Harry slowly made their way to the breach.

"Is anybody else feeling panic right now?" Cisco blurted. "I chickened out of bungee jumping when I was 18, but this is categorically a lot scarier."

"Once I turn the speed cannon on," Jay said, "the three of you will be able to pass through unharmed. But Barry, you need to make sure you keep your speed up."

Barry nodded. "Mm-hmm."

Cisco gasped. "I... I got no spit." He worked his mouth several times.

Leonard lifted one eyebrow. "Jaws?"

Cisco turned to glare at him. "I'm not just quoting 'Jaws.' I mean my mouth is really dry right now."

"Bit late for a drink," Leonard drawled.

"It's never too late for a drink," Mick replied.

Leonard shook his head.

"Do not get distracted by anything you see along the way," Jay warned.

Cisco looked at him, wide-eyed. "What are we going to see?"

"Everything," Jay replied.

Barry took a deep breath. "Do it, Jay."

Jay nodded and pulled the lever. The breach lit up with a sound like a rushing wind, with an odd mechanical reverberation to it.

Leonard almost convinced himself he could see something within, but he didn't dare get close enough to be sure.

Barry gripped Cisco and Harry by the shoulders. "Okay," the young speedster said. "Let's go." The three raced into the light and vanished.

Behind them, the machine containing the breach sparked and sizzled.

Caitlin stared in shock.

"What is..." Leonard noticed one of the rings wobbling. "Look out!" he called.

Jay tackled Caitlin to the floor, just in time to avoid being flattened by the ring.

The machinery sparked one last time, and the light died.

"You okay?" Jay asked. He helped Caitlin to her feet.

"Uh, yeah," Caitlin said. "I'm fine."

"What happened?" Leonard asked. "The breach..."

Jay stared at the machinery. "With the rest of the breaches closed, the energy surge to this last remaining breach must have destabilized it."

"Well, what does that mean?" Joe asked.

"As long as it's unstable," Jay said, "Barry and Cisco will be trapped over there." He looked around at the group. "We'd better get to work fixing it. Any volunteers?"

"I don't know much about all this science stuff," Mick said, "but if you need some extra muscle, I'm your man."

"Better get Rathaway first," Leonard said.

Mick nodded. "On it." The arsonist clambered back up the ladder much faster than his size led anyone to expect.

"You should probably get going, too," Leonard told Oliver.

"Are you sure?" Oliver said.

Leonard shrugged. Of course he was sure, even if Barry did say he could trust them.

But that wasn't what Oliver had meant. "Zoom's not taking a vacation while everyone fixes my problems," Leonard replied. "I highly doubt Darkh will be, either."

Oliver nodded. "True. Unfortunately. We'll be back soon. Count on it." He and Sara followed Mick up the ladder.

"Fighting the enemy on three fronts," Thea muttered. "Love those odds."

"That's why I'm leaving part of the League here," Malcolm replied, "under Nyssa's command."

"That bad, huh?" Leonard said.

Malcolm scowled. "If this guy's training is anything like ours, killing him won't be the problem." He turned and started up the ladder.

Leonard gave a start. He stared after the assassin's retreating back.

Did he dare hope...?

But Malcolm's parting words smashed that hope to pieces.

"Making him talk will be."

—WHAT IF: ALTERNATE UNIVERSE—

A flurry of activity soon took over the labs, as everyone pitched in, from helping fix the containment device, to keeping tabs on the search for Lisa, to simply preparing a snack when needed.

Everyone, that is, but for one thief.

Leonard had found a spot in the Pipeline where he could sit and stare at the breach and stay out of the way, and there he remained. He barely even blinked when he sensed someone standing over him.

"You do realize," Caitlin said, "when Iris told Barry we'd be waiting for him, she didn't mean you weren't allowed to leave this spot."

Leonard ignored her, preferring the solitude of his personal oblivion. It was easier to face than his current reality, though not easy enough. He envied the people who could find that oblivion at the bottom a bottle, but right now he couldn't even find the energy to drink.

Caitlin crouched to address him as near to face-to-face as his chosen perch allowed.

Leonard managed to turn away.

"Are you doing all right?" she asked. "Do you need me to get Biv down here?"

Leonard slowly shook his head. "No," he murmured. He answered, and answered truthfully, only because that one word took less effort than continuing to pretend that he hadn't heard.

But he had no idea which question he was answering.

He flinched when he felt her hands on his back. But she was gentle as she rubbed his back and shoulders, and he forced himself to relax into the massage.

Caitlin began to hum as she worked her way to his neck. A lullaby, of all things.

The gesture—the humming—was so like moments he'd shared with Lisa, one of the ways the siblings coped whenever Lewis invaded their lives. It broke the last shred of Leonard's control, and he wept.


Linked fics:
Alternate Universe, of course, as this is chapter 12 of that very fic.
Also, Caitlin's question if Len needs Biv refers to the Flash Sideways ficlet Recruitment Drive and Lisa's reasons for recruiting the meta.