AUTHOR'S NOTE: This one took a little longer to write. I hope you think it's worth the wait.

As always, "Legends of Tomorrow" is the property of DC Entertainment, and I get nothing for this except the joy of reading your responses. (Yes, that's a shameless bid for reviews.)

The vibration of the Waverider lifting off woke Sara from a dream of flying over a still blue lake. She sat up slowly, realizing she was in Medbay. Her last waking memories came flooding back. She looked over to the neighboring bed, and saw her sister sleeping there peacefully. "Gideon?" she said quietly. "How is Laurel?"

Gideon's electronic voice was equally quiet. "Miss Lance's vitals are within norms. She will need several more hours of REM sleep to fully recover from the effects of the Lazarus Pit."

"How long have I been out?"

"It's been two hours since you were brought to the Medbay, and you are now free to leave. Your vitals are also within norms, and you have had sufficient REM sleep for your recovery."

"I suppose it's easier to be cured of bloodlust than to be brought back from the dead."

The AI didn't answer immediately. Then Gideon said, "There is no information to support or deny your hypothesis. You and your sister are unique."

Sara nodded. "That we are. Thank you, Gideon. Call me when she wakes up."

She made her way to the galley, to find Len poking around in the cabinets again. She leaned against the entry and said, "Don't tell me we picked up mini marshmallows in Nanda Parbat."

He turned to her with a slight smile and two steaming mugs. "No, but Gideon shared your secret recipe with me. She told me you were up, and that Laurel would be sleeping for a while longer," he said, passing her one of the mugs. "How are you feeling?"

She took a sip as she settled into one of the chairs. Len took the chair next to her, just as they'd been… was it really less than two days ago? She looked down at her mug as she considered her answer. "Peaceful," she said at last. "In a way I can't remember feeling in… years. Not even before my first time in the Pit. This time…" She felt tears starting in her eyes as she remembered the love that had surrounded her. "I felt Laurel's memories, all the ways she ever felt about me. I always knew she loved me, despite the things I'd done to hurt her. But now I know she loved me more than I ever deserved."

Len wrapped his free hand around hers. "Don't sell yourself short, Sara," he told her. "You do deserve that. And more."

They sat in silence for a moment. Then she said, "I want you to know… When I went into the Pit, the last thing I thought of was you." She looked back up at him. There was that look in his eyes again. "And, back at my dad's house, when you said I should have people I loved around me…" she hesitated, and then went on, "I already was with the people I love."

She watched him lean back, considering her. Finally he said, "That's a pretty dangerous word. Are you sure you're ready to use it? With me?"

She smiled. "We're pretty dangerous people. And let's face it, we're both pretty messed up." He gave a single nod of agreement. She set her mug down. "But perhaps we can help each other out of the mess. And… and if you're not ready to use that word yet... I understand."

He leaned toward her. "You know, the professor told me that to love and to be loved is a basic human need." He set his own mug down and pulled her into his lap so he could wrap his arms around her. "I've got about 40 years of 'messed up' to work through, so I think I should warn you: I'm going to be very human. And very needy."

She chuckled, and reveled in his warmth. And he calls himself Cold. "As long as we're warning each other… Do you remember what I told you about that nurse in 1958?"

He nodded. "Heard about that from the professor too. He told me it had a very strong effect on you. But that's about all he told me," he said as she started to frown. "He said I should ask you. So, tell me about it."

She nestled into him as she spoke. "Her name was Lindsay. It was my first kiss after being brought back, and it was like being kissed for the first time ever. It was… overwhelming. Terrifying."

"And you think that it will be like that again, now that you've been in the Pit again."

She only answered with a nod. He pulled back a little and put his hand to her face, encouraging her to look at him.

"So we take it slowly, and begin again," he said. "There's nothing wrong with that, Sara." He smiled a little. "And just think. This time, we can both appreciate our first kiss."

There was only one way she could answer that. She leaned in and kissed him, her arms winding around his neck, his hand sliding into her hair. His lips were soft and slow and gentle against hers, and his arm tightened around her body.

This wasn't terrifying at all. This was like… like flying over a still blue lake, and then coming home.

That tender look was back in his eyes when they parted. She wanted more. Wanted to be closer. She slid out of his lap and moved so she could sit straddled in his lap, heartbeat to heartbeat. She kissed him again, nipping at his lips, her tongue seeking entrance, which he willingly granted. He tasted of mint. She pressed close to him and savored the sweetness of his mouth until they had to part again, breathing heavily.

He chuckled softly. "You're moving pretty fast there for just a second kiss," he whispered teasingly.

She whispered back, "Len, stop counting."

He smiled and sealed his lips to hers again.

Mick considered the data on the projection and shook his head. Rip touched the display to change it.

Mick slowly nodded at the new readout. He smiled grimly. "You know, Rip, you can be a scary bastard sometimes. I'm starting to like you."

Hunter looked at him askance. "I'm not sure whether I should feel complimented about that." He moved to his chair. "Gideon, you have the coordinates. Off we go."

Merlyn woke up on the cold ground. His head was throbbing, and he could feel a lump where Kendra had hit him.

He sat up and assessed his surroundings. Nighttime, in some kind of jungle. So, not in Nanda Parbat any more. Bright moonlight was filtered by a thick canopy of trees.

His backpack lay a next to him. He grabbed it and looked inside. Food, clothing, everything one would need for a camping trip. Just no weapons.

All right. He'd done more with less. If the fools didn't have the nerve to kill him outright, they should have left him naked and empty-handed. Since they didn't, he would eventually find them and show them what it was to cross al-Saher.

He stood and slung the pack over one shoulder. Time to get his bearings. The stars would tell him where he was.

The hike took him a few minutes. He looked up. The stars were thick in the sky, despite the bright light of the moons.

Moons. Plural. Two of them hanging in the night sky.

The backpack hit the ground as Merlyn shouted his rage.

END

AUTHOR'S NOTE: So, this was originally going to be a one-shot "third time" to follow "Little Boy Lost." Like children, it grew faster than I could have believed. And there are a couple more bunnies hopping around in this particular story line.

Thanks for the kind comments and reviews. They do mean a lot to me.