So just in case you didn't figure it out in the last chapter, I definitely liked Leonard Snart and Sara Lance's interactions in the show. They had a great dynamic and fit together so nicely.
I also like Mick Rory and Amaya Jiwe's interactions in the show. I think that they would have been an interesting couple if the writers went that way. But I'm equally happy with just their friendship. And since Amaya and Nate kind of officially became a couple right at the end of Season 2, I can't just break them up a day or two later to slap her together with Mick.
But I don't write a lot of romance and couples stuff in my stories. That's not my forte. I still like how that last chapter turned out though. I liked Leonard and Sara's reunion and conversation. Hopefully you'll like this next chapter too.
He was exhausted. Stein knew he should have been sleeping. Or rather, he should have slept the night before. Instead, he'd been up all night alternating between studying the formula that Mick provided and researching human biology and anatomy since everyone seemed determined to treat him like a medical doctor. But he didn't stay up out of a workaholic mindset. He didn't want to pull an all-nighter like in his twenties.
Stein tried sleeping initially. They'd been running around constantly for two days previously. He'd wanted to sleep. He tried his best to get some rest.
But the moment he was no longer distracted, it hit him hard. Every time he closed his eyes, Stein saw that scene once more: Jax with an arrow buried in his chest. Intellectually, he knew it wasn't his partner. Not exactly. It had been the version from an alternate future, one that would have been erased anyway. Stein knew that. But it didn't change the horror and guilt that came from watching the young man die protecting him.
Stein managed to block the psychic connection enough that Jax wouldn't pick up his stress during the night, but he couldn't keep the mental image from haunting him. Between that alternate version of Jax and Ronnie, how many times would he lose his partner? An old man should not continue to outlive those with so much life still ahead of them. He eventually surrendered the idea of sleep and worked the rest of the night so he wouldn't have to remember.
But now he was paying for it. Stein shuffled tiredly down the hall, a tablet tucked under his arm. While he might fear the creatures, he knew that he must strongly resemble a zombie that morning. Maybe next time he tried to sleep, he would be tired enough to manage it.
Originally, he intended to stagger his way to the galley and try to find some coffee, tea, or pure caffeine to drown himself in. Anything to help with how sluggish his brain felt. But when he was partway there, Stein remembered that Sara spent the night in medbay. He redirected his path to stop by and check on her. Maybe he could see if she would want some breakfast.
That was his plan, at least. But when he reached medbay, Stein found that not everything was as he expected. Their captain had vacated her crate. And one of the chairs was now empty, the previous patient gone. Stein stared for a moment before it truly sank in.
"Gideon?"
"Yes, Professor Stein?" she answered cheerfully.
"Is… is Mr. Snart awake?"
"Yes, Professor Stein. He and Captain Lance left medbay approximately six minutes ago. You barely missed encountering them on the way here," Gideon stated. "They intend to locate Mr. Snart different clothes before heading towards the galley."
He smiled at her words. They needed all the good news possible. Even with their destruction of the Spear of Destiny and the defeat of the Legion of Doom, there had been some rather difficult events lately. The graphic deaths of their counterparts (though Stein didn't know for certain what happened with his own that was only "as good as dead"). Time shattering. The near death of two teammates from severe hypothermia. The recovery of one of them made him feel a bit lighter.
Stein briefly considered trying to track down the pair, taking the opportunity to welcome back their teammate. Even if he wasn't the closest to Snart, he felt relieved that the man had regained consciousness and had been brought back to them at all.
But the professor quietly settled himself in the spare chair instead, turning so he could look at the display for Rory. He wasn't certain if Gideon displayed both temperatures as a standard feature or if she did it due to having Americans on board since they still clung to measuring with Fahrenheit. Either way, the remaining patient had climbed to a temperature of twenty-two degrees Celsius or approximately seventy-two degrees Fahrenheit. And his heart rate was around thirty beats per minute when it should have been closer to a resting rate of sixty. But he seemed to be breathing on his own and he had a heartbeat even at the still-very-low temperature. Granted, it wasn't completely steady, but Stein's reading the night before did suggest that certain types of arrhythmias were to be expected during the rewarming process and would disappear on their own.
Even if Sara and Snart only left a few moments before, it didn't feel right to leave their remaining patient alone. And he certainly didn't have any more pressing matters at the moment. Stein didn't mind sitting around for a little while with the unconscious Rory. He could do some work in the meantime.
Stein barely activated the tablet before his heavy eyelids slipped down. He didn't even notice it happening. Exhaustion finally won out over troubling memories. While certainly not sleeping easy, the old man managed to drift off.
"I still can't believe that Mick Rory now has a statue of himself," said Barry, shaking his head. "How does something like that even happen?"
"Definitely not what we expected when we met George Washington either," Ray said, twisting the glass of orange juice in his hands.
The galley currently contained only a handful of people. Ray had already been there when Barry and Iris joined him, the scientist working on his bowl of cereal already. By the time they figured out how to produce twin servings of pancakes, Cisco stumbled in moaning for a coffee from Jitters. Jax eventually joined them, yawning and hungry for some bacon and eggs. It wasn't the most organized breakfast, but everyone seemed grateful. And they took the opportunity to fill each other in about the recent events each team had faced.
It really wasn't that long ago that they were fighting aliens together, but a lot could apparently happen in that time. Savitar, HR's death and Caitlin leaving, and being trapped in the Speed Force. The Spear of Destiny, multiple versions of themselves, and breaking the timestream. Their lives were never boring.
"If this timeship can produce any kind of food, why doesn't the coffee taste the same as back home?" grumbled Cisco groggily.
"The replicated food just doesn't taste as good as the real stuff," Ray said. "It ends up being nutritious, but not as tasty somehow. That's why all the junk food is the real deal. We tend to stock up whenever we visit one of the more modern time periods."
Smiling briefly, Jax added, "Rip hid a supply of cereal from various time periods on the Waverider. The good boxes vanished quickly after a couple criminals came onboard."
"If you call what he did 'hiding'," said a familiar voice rather dryly.
Everyone spun towards the doorway. Standing there next to a grinning Sara was Leonard Snart, awake and smirking slightly at their surprised expressions. Barry could tell the man was wearing multiple layers of clothing, warmth clearly more important than style at the moment. The loose black sweater and sweatpants certainly didn't scream master criminal. But between that and the colorful quilt that Sara carried in her arms, Snart would certainly stay cozy.
And Barry couldn't even describe how good it was to see the man up and about again.
"Snart!" Ray called, sounding absolutely delighted as he shoved himself to his feet. "I can't believe you're all right."
The casually-dressed criminal didn't even have a chance to react or respond before Ray wrapped him in a swift hug. Barry could see Snart stiffen from across the room. But he didn't immediately shove the scientist away, so that was better than what Barry expected.
"Yes," said Snart through gritted teeth. "I'm not dead. That doesn't mean you need to cling to me."
"Oh. Right." Ray let go and took a step back, allowing some of Snart's discomfort to fade even as he shivered slightly. Looking him over briefly, Ray asked, "Feeling cold."
Walking over and collapsing into the closest chair tiredly, he said, "Honestly, yes."
"Gideon said he still needs to warm up a bit more, but at least she let him out of medbay," Sara added. She settled the quilt around his shoulders. "So sweaters and blankets. Doctor's orders."
Barry thought he saw Snart's eyes soften slightly as she tucked the blanket around him. It was subtle and easy to miss, but it seemed that Rory was right. There was something going on with those two.
"Though I want to know where my parka is," said Snart. "I can't find it."
Cisco raised his hand timidly before dashing out the door without a word. The thief just raised an eyebrow as he watched the frantic escape.
"Do I want to know why the nerd with a crush on my sister stole my parka?" asked Snart slowly.
"Actually, he's been dating a meta from another Earth named Gypsy," Iris said. "As for the parka, no clue. He spent most of yesterday in the fabrication room."
Turning towards her, he said, "Didn't expect to see you here, Ms. West. Working on your next article?"
"I wasn't going to let my fiancé vanish after Rory just yanked him out of the Speed Force yesterday."
"Every part of that sentence raises questions," said Snart, rubbing his temple tiredly. "Catching up will definitely take a while. A lot can apparently happen in less than a year." Turning towards Barry, he continued, "And I know you're waiting to say it. Go ahead, Flash."
"You mean how I told you that you could be a better person, you tried to deny it, and then you did that?" Barry asked innocently. "I won't say a word."
"But it is great to have you back," said Ray. "Really. It just wasn't the same without you."
"Yeah, man. Welcome back," Jax said, messing with the food replicator. "We couldn't believe it when Rory ran off and Gideon told us what he was doing." He shook his head. "Honestly, it doesn't feel quite real. But I'm not going to complain." Jax gestured towards what he was working on. "Want some toast or something, Snart? I'm getting a grapefruit for Grey."
And that question reminded Barry of what he'd brought on the trip with him. Tapping into his speed, he vanished from the galley to retrieve the small box. When he returned, everyone stared at him in curiosity.
"When Rory told us he wanted to bring you back, I thought it might be nice to have a small welcome back gift," Barry said with a shrug. "It isn't much, but I thought you'd appreciate it."
Raising an eyebrow, Snart reached for the box and peered inside. The surprised chuckle from the thief reassured Barry that his idea was appreciated. As the others stared questioningly at both of them, Snart started pulling out the contents.
A light-blue mug covered in snowflakes, part of a set from last Christmas. A container of hot chocolate mix, a pretty decent brand that most people liked around the holidays. And from a quick trip to the store before leaving, a bag of mini marshmallows.
"Feeling sentimental?" asked Snart.
"At least you didn't need to break into our home this time," Iris said, slightly smiling at the reminder.
"Did you at least invest in better locks after that?"
"Like that would actually keep you out," said Barry.
Footsteps caught their attention as two more people entered the galley. Amaya and Nate froze as they caught sight of the blanket-enshrouded thief. The mood in the room instantly shifted. They didn't know Snart like the others did. From what Barry knew, they'd only met the version from the Legion of Doom. The version that Barry first fought when he was still learning to be the Flash. He wasn't sure how they would respond.
"Dr. Nate Heywood, I presume?" said Snart. "Sara mentioned you. But I don't think I caught the lady's name."
Nate looked a little uneasy, like he was uncertain how to react. Amaya only hesitated a moment before calmly approaching. She extended a hand towards him.
"I am Amaya Jiwe, formerly member of the Justice Society of America. And you are the Leonard Snart from 2016," she said. "We have heard about you from the rest of the team. A thief and criminal for most of your life, I believe."
"And is that a problem, Ms. Jiwe?" asked Snart, eyeing her and not yet accepting the offered handshake.
She smiled and said, "I've learned not to judge so quickly or harshly anymore. And feel free to call me 'Amaya' if you prefer. You're Mick's friend and everyone here trusts you."
"Not to mention the cozy sweater and blanket combo makes it harder to take you as a threat right now," added Nate, visibly relaxing.
"I'll work on that," said Snart dryly, but he finally returned the handshake.
As Jax slid a plate of toast with raspberry jam in front of the thief, the newcomers started their own breakfast. Snart started eating with the same enthusiasm that Barry did after a particularly intense day of running. Both running and recovering from hypothermia probably took similar levels of energy. The man still looked a bit weary, so hopefully the extra sugar in the jam would help.
"Here you go," shouted Cisco as he ran back in, the parka in his arms. Practically shoving it at Snart, he said, "Sorry about that."
Weighing it with a frown, Snart asked, "What did you do to it? It's a little heavier than before."
"Well, after I repaired the damage to my Cold Gun—"
"What happened to my Cold Gun?"
"—I was on a bit of a roll. And I remembered that you and Rory were running around with no powers or protective gear. So since the ship can fabricate almost any material, which is amazing, and I know quite a few useful synthesized materials, I figured I might as well fix that problem while I'm here," continued Cisco quickly. "I found your old room, grabbed the parka I remember you wearing all the time, pulled out the stitching, added another layer in the lining, and put it back together again. It isn't much, but the material in the lining should resist someone stabbing you with a knife and stop lower-caliber bullets, though that could still leave a bruise from impact. Admittedly not my best work, but I was going for subtle. I figured you wouldn't go for something like what the Flash wears."
"You would guess right," Snart said, studying his parka with new appreciation.
"And since Heat Wave's coat was cut apart when the two of you ended up as popsicles, I fabricated a new one based on the design of the old one. I just added the same lining and made it fire resistant as an added bonus. Just in case. But hopefully it'll help keep the two of you alive with all the time travel and stuff," said Cisco.
"Assuming that Mr. Snart intends to continue time-traveling now that Vandal Savage is dead," Rip said, striding into the room. "And it is good to see you up and feeling better."
Rolling his eyes, Snart said, "If you're worried about how I feel, then next time actually get me a drink of water rather than wait for me to fall asleep again. And I have to stay. Look at what happens when I leave you alone for a few months."
"Hey, we're doing fine," said Nate.
His tone completely deadpan, Snart said, "You broke time."
"In our defense, Thawne bringing an army of himself as backup at the end didn't help either," Ray said.
"Which is why the Speed Force apparently sent a time wraith version of Hunter Zolomon after him," said Barry, remembering the description of events.
"And we know you're staying because Sara's the captain now," Ray continued.
That casual comment made both the thief and assassin stiffen. And maybe it was Barry's eyes playing tricks on him, but he could swear that Snart looked slightly redder than before.
"If you mean I'm staying because there's finally a competent person in charge, then yes," said Snart, his attempt to sound causal just a little too strained.
Rip didn't seem to notice the slight tension. And he didn't even look surprised at the insult though. He just rolled his eyes slightly.
"Then you are staying?" Amaya asked, clearly trying to redirect the conversation towards a safer path. "I'm sure everyone is happy to hear that."
Smiling briefly, Barry said, "He'll at least keep you on your toes around here. Snart always kept me busy when I dealt with him."
"Someone's got to keep you at the top of your game, Flash. Wouldn't want you getting slow and lazy," said Snart. "Who knows what quality of criminals you've been stuck with while I was gone."
"No one like you. There's only one Captain Cold," Cisco said. Pausing briefly, he added, "Though I guess there's probably other Leonard Snarts on the other Earths."
"Well, I better take Grey some breakfast," said Jax as he picked up a plate with a grapefruit. "He tried to hide it, but he didn't sleep well last night."
"If you're heading out," Snart said, almost sounding hesitant, "think you can swing by and check on Mick on your way?"
Nodding with a very knowing grin, Jax said, "No problem, man. I'll grab a book and hang out with the big guy for a while."
He slipped out of the galley, forcing Rip to move out of the doorway. The room felt a bit crowded with everyone in there working on their breakfasts. But the atmosphere felt cheerful enough that Barry doubted anyone minded.
A copy of "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" tucked under one arm and carrying a plate, Jax headed into medbay. Gideon helped him track Stein down. He wasn't surprised that the older man dozed off in there. Jax had been dealing with a general sense of fatigue all morning.
And now that he was unconscious and unable to block off their psychic link, Jax could guess why his partner was so tired. Faint flickers of guilt and grief prickled at the back of his mind. Stein was in the middle of a nightmare, one he'd been avoiding all night.
Jax carefully sat the book and grapefruit on the crate. Part of him wanted to let Stein try and sleep a little more. He needed the rest. They all needed sleep after the last couple days. But the faint feelings coming over their connection had been growing worse since at least Rip's arrival in the galley, part of the reason Jax left not long after. The nightmare was growing more intense and that wouldn't help Stein get the proper rest that he needed.
Shaking his shoulder, he called, "Grey? Come on, man. Wake up. Grey!"
Stein startled sharply, nearly dislodging his glasses from his face. His eyes, wide and confused, darted wildly around the surroundings. He glanced at the doorway, at the still figure in the neighboring chair, and finally focused on Jax's face. Stein visibly relaxed as he recognized his partner in front of him.
"Jefferson," he said quietly, the only sound in the room other than the shallow breathing of the patient and the soft beeping from the display of Rory's condition.
"Yeah, Grey," said Jax comfortingly. "It's me. I'm fine. Everyone is fine. That's what you're worried about, right?"
"I… I don't know wh—"
"Don't even try that, Grey," interrupted Jax. "I know you better than that. I know what it feels like when you have nightmares and it doesn't take much to guess what caused it."
At least he had the decency to look ashamed of his attempt to deny it. Stein sat up the rest of the way in the chair and straightened his glasses. Jax sat down on the edge of the crate, studying his partner carefully.
"I'm not dead," continued Jax. "You should be able to feel enough through the psychic link to know that. I'm not dead. And I'm not dying. And what happened to the other me wasn't your fault."
"Unfortunately, my subconscious disagrees," he muttered dryly.
Jax could understand that. Seeing his own face die wasn't exactly easy for him either. But stabbing Merlyn in the leg in retaliation immediately afterwards did make him feel a bit better.
"I get it. But there's a big difference between me and him," said Jax. "Two, actually. One, he knew that he was existing on borrowed time. He already knew he was dead, one way or another. And two, he didn't have his partner to watch his back. I'm not going to end up like that."
"He died saving me, Jefferson. Do you know how that makes me feel?"
"Exactly how I felt when you sent me back to 2016 in the jump-ship to save my life and condemning yourself to death. If I didn't find my way back, you would have died saving me, Grey."
And he knew Stein would do it again if necessary. Without any hesitation. The old man might be arrogant and have issues with overprotectiveness at times, but Jax knew that Stein would always make that choice. His life for that of his partner.
"I'm not going to end up like Ronnie. Or that other me," continued Jax. "And if I do die in the distant future, it won't be your fault. Because no matter what your ego might say otherwise, you're not responsible for everything that happens." Giving his partner an encouraging smile, Jax said, "So how about instead of worrying and stressing out, you have some breakfast and you head to your room for some proper sleep in your own bed. Maybe even get some warm milk or something from the galley."
"And Mr. Rory?" Stein asked.
Jax was about to reassure him that he planned to keep an eye on their unconscious arsonist, but stopped as he actually turned his attention back to Mick. He wasn't quite certain what it was, but something wasn't right. His shallow breathing sounded both faster and weaker than when Jax came in. The display showed a lot more red and the beeping seemed a bit unsteady. And the blue light that previous danced across all the man's body now focused on his chest.
"Hey, Gideon?" asked Jax uneasily.
"I am aware," she responded, sounding surprisingly worried for an artificial intelligence. "I am attempting to stabilize him before—"
An alarm cut off her words as the display flashed red.
What? You thought it would be just fluff and sweetness from here on out? You thought that everything would be fine? You thought I was a kind and benevolent writer? You thought there would be no consequences?
No. There are consequences for bringing back Snart. There are consequences for suffering exposure to such harsh temperatures. The lowest human body temperature ever recorded that the person survived was 56.7 degrees Fahrenheit (or 13.7 degrees Celsius). And that didn't involve being exposed to absolute zero.
There are consequences for what happened. And I am a cruel and vicious writer.
