Of course, nothing went to plan. Rarely ever did. On his way to pick up Mick, blue and red lights surrounded him and he was unceremoniously arrested for the murder of Lewis Snart.

He didn't fight them. Didn't try to deny it. He simply allowed them to take him in. He'd known he was walking free on borrowed time as it was, and was grateful that it had happened after Sara had left.

His trial had been...unexpected. With the slew of evidence at the crime scene and his own flat acknowledgement of the facts, it had seemed like an open and shut case. Then, his defense had brought in an another witness.

Detective Joe West didn't seem pleased to be there, casting Leonard a glare as he took his seat and swore his oath. Leonard wasn't entirely sure what to make of it.

"Detective West, can you tell us what your connection to this case is?"

West glanced at Leonard, then sighed, "I was running a surveillance operation on one of the men Lewis Snart hired, David McKinsey. He's a suspect as a supplier. We were tailing him and bugged a few of his usual haunts."

"Objection," the prosecutor said, "I don't see any relevance to this case."

"Overruled," the judge said, watching West. "Proceed, Detective."

"While tailing McKinsey, we overheard the following conversation between him and Lewis Snart," West said. Again, he looked at Leonard, but this time, it wasn't a glare. It was a look of pity. He would've preferred a glare.

The judge waved for the recording to be played and Leonard stared straight ahead as the sounds of a bar became clear.

"...think it'll work, Snart?"

"'Course it'll fucking work." Leonard didn't react as his father's voice echoed through the courtroom. "He'd do anything for her. He's a weak little shit."

"Then why do we need-"

"Because that little shit has become the best damn thief in the whole fucking city, David. If anyone's getting us in, it'll be Leonard." A faint grunt, sound of breaking glass in the background. "We tell him Lisa's life is on the line, he'd do anything to help her."

"And when the job's done?"

"We'll be set for life."

"What about Leonard? You know he'll come after us and he's-"

"My son shouldn't be the one you're afraid of," Lewis growled, sounding pissed that David was concerned. Leonard allowed himself a small feeling of satisfaction.

"And Lisa?"

Lewis chuckled, "Second the job is done, we'll kill 'em both. I hate loose ends."

The recording cut off and Leonard stared straight at West. He didn't buy that they were tailing David, not for one damn minute. Any detective worth their salt would know that David wasn't a supplier. No one would trust him with their houseplants, let alone their drugs or money. So why the hell was he trying to help out Leonard? What did he have to gain?

Leonard was called up to the stand shortly after. He found West in the audience, sitting next to the skinny CSI kid. They were whispering, but fell silent once the questioning started.

"Did your father threaten you with your sister's life?"

"Yes," he clipped out.

"And did he try to kill you, once the job was over?"

"Yes."

CSI and West seemed unsurprised at his admission, almost as if they knew about it before. They were staring at Leonard without the annoyance and anger he was used to receiving from law enforcement. A sort of frustrated understanding, an annoyed acceptance. God, how he wanted the anger instead.

"Tying up loose ends," she'd said. He wasn't sure if he wanted to thank her for this, but it's not like she'd left him a choice in the matter. He decided to take it as the help it was meant to be. The trial finished up shortly after that, especially since Leonard had already admitted to killing Lewis. However, his sentence was peppered with terms like self defense, diminished responsibility, extreme circumstances.

Thanks to West's testimony, Leonard wasn't put in maximum security, but with general pop. It's not like he would be there for long, but it made things a bit easier on him. Establishing himself as someone who shouldn't be messed with took only one lunchroom brawl. Send one grunt through the plexiglass that covered the food, without receiving any significant hits on his own, and people tended to leave him alone. Adding into that his telltale glare and usual attitude, and Leonard was unanimously elected the top dog and left on his own.

His days were spent in the prison library or in his cell, punctuated with brief visits from Lisa. Mick was wanted on multiple counts of arson from over the years, so he sent his comments through Lisa. He was doing well, none worse the wear for his few missing days, laying low until Leonard got out. Lisa had access to part of Leonard's cut, so she would be set until long after he was back on the street. Everyone was fine and moving on, and Leonard was left in the cell, in the holding pattern, with nothing but his thoughts. Some days, they were better company than others.

He was walking past the television room one day, a book under his arm, when he heard a comment that made him pause.

"...calling her the Black Canary."

Stepping into the almost empty room, Leonard leaned on the door, his full attention on the screen, as focused as he'd been in weeks. He caught the tail end of a clip, showing a woman in black leather beating a couple of street dealers into the pavement. He couldn't see her face - the mask and blonde hair covered it - but he saw the way she moved and the grin that flashed in the dark. He'd know that smile anywhere.

"Hello, birdy."

Getting sprung by the Trickster hadn't exactly been part of Leonard's plan, but he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth, even if that gift horse was insane. Working with Team Flash had been his only option and he had to admit, he kind of enjoyed the rush.

Mick, however, had been less than pleased.

"What the hell was that?"

"What was what?" Leonard drawled, his feet up on the low table. It wasn't his apartment or Mick's, but one of their safehouses. It was a bit dilapidated and worn down, not up to Leonard's usual standards, but it was warm and off the grid.

"You worked with the Flash?" Mick snarled. "You're turning sides?"

"No," he answered. "I was keeping a psychopath off my streets." Perhaps it came off harsher than he meant it to, but there'd been no mention of the Black Canary on the news in months. It was making him a little anxious, if Leonard Snart could get anxious.

"You're helping the heroes."

He straightened up slightly. "I was helping me. I was helping our city."

"You aren't a hero, Snart!"

Leonard's eyes narrowed slightly. "I'm not trying to be." He wasn't certain that was a lie, but he also hated the idea of the word."I wanted the Trickster and his goddamn bombs away from my city, my take, and my sister."

Mick cursed and stood, grabbing a beer off the counter. "You never should have gone to the Flash."

"I didn't have a choice, Mick."

"Sure." The arsonist wandered away and Leonard stared after him. Finally, he stood and started towards the door.

"Where are you going now?" Mick growled.

"Out," Leonard snapped.

He'd only meant to take a walk around the city. Somehow, he'd ended up at the train station. So he got on.

Central City wasn't perfect, what with the metas cropping up every weekend. However, Star City was a right sight worse. Two minutes off the train and Leonard saw two robberies, three carjackings, and a mugging. His kind of city. He kept his head down and shoved his hands into his pockets, his destination in mind and his thoughts already there.

The cemetery was quiet and undisturbed by the crime and anger outside the gates. The rows of headstones, far too many, were neat and orderly, unlike the chaos on the streets. It took Leonard quite some time before he found the one he was looking for.

Sara Lance

1987-2007

Loving daughter and sister

The plot was well tended, the headstone clean. There were flowers on the grave were not more than a week old. Clearly, someone still cared.

He knew about Sara's father and had done his research on her sister. In fact, he'd caught a few of Laurel's cases on the internet, reading through her work. She was thorough. He should consider hiring her the next time he got arrested.

Turning his attention back to the headstone, he sat on his heels, staring at the inscription. He ran his fingers over his mouth, his eyes drawn to the dates.

God, she was only twenty when she was put in here. Still not much more than a kid. Though, let's be honest, he wasn't a kid at twenty - he hadn't been a kid since he was six years old. She was older when he saw her, so he knew that she did come back, but still...being right here and seeing it…

His eyes dropped down to the plot beneath his feet. Stomach churning at the thought of Sara being buried somewhere beneath his boots, he stood and backed away. He didn't bring flowers to lay down for her, no pretty words or tears. He brushed off his knees and glanced one last time at the name. "You'd better keep your promise," he murmured at the grave.

The waiting was rough.

It was coming, it had to be coming, and yet…

It wasn't here.

The longer it took, the more frustrated Leonard got. He was on edge, he was in a holding pattern, waiting for his future to begin.

And dreading that it wouldn't.

He and Mick butted heads more often than not and Leonard was pulling fewer and fewer jobs, living longer on his cuts than he usually did. Mick spent more time on his own and his temper burned fiercer than ever. Leonard built up his walls higher and thicker, preparing for the day that he would finally realize it wasn't going to happen. Everything seemed to be coming to a head-

And then he woke up on the rooftop and she was there.

Leonard barely heard what Rip was saying - though he did see the difference in Rip between now and then - his eyes were on Sara.

She looked different. Harder, colder, more distant. Everything he pretended to be. But it was her, those eyes, that voice, and the smile-

No. The smile was wrong. It was too bright, too artificial, too fake. It was good, very good. It clearly slid by the other misfits on the roof.

But it didn't slide by him. Faking things was Leonard's bread and butter, and though she was good, she was no Snart.

She left the roof first, casting a suspicious look at Leonard as she left. Leonard smirked at her, chuckling once as she rolled her eyes. This Sara was harder and colder than the one he knew, but he took it as a challenge.

Leonard's agreement was already long decided before he and Mick returned to the Waverider, though he knew that Mick was going to be a hard sell. The fact that Mick had agreed to come was a step in the right direction, but he wasn't certain it was going to be enough.

They split to pack what little they cared to take with them. Leonard left a note for Lisa, along with the location for a few of his caches. Not all of them; he always had a backup plan.

His gun made it into the bag, along with the blue coat he'd taken to wearing around at home. On impulse, he reached into his desk and pulled out a few things. The picture of Lisa, the ring. His finger knocked the sapphire; he hadn't looked at it since that night. He didn't know what he'd do with it, but he pocketed it just the same.

When he carried his bag onto the Waverider, he couldn't help but feel a sense of relief. He'd been waiting for this for so long, and it was finally here. Hard to imagine his past and future were coming to a head right this second.

He joined in for the nickel tour of the ship, Sara falling into step without a word.

Leonard fell back to walk with Sara as Ray attempted to flirt with Stein. The awkwardness was almost palpable as Ray struggled to get Stein to remember him. It was amusing to see the two acting like this, when he'd seen them helping and close to one another just a few years ago. However, Leonard could barely keep track of the conversation, other than seeing Ray get shot down. His eyes on the way she moved, the light steps second nature to her.

"I consider myself to be a broadminded individual, but this is a lot to take in," he said, looking around the ship that he hadn't seen in years. The ship, this possible future, his future.

"And why are you telling me this?" she asked, arms crossed and expression closed off, looking away from him.

The disinterest was pretty good. He almost bought that she was as closed off as she pretended to be. "You seem to be the only other person on this boat who isn't a super genius or a reincarnated freakshow." Oh, poor word choice.

"Actually, I was dead for a year."

Yeah, he remembered. Leonard turned towards her, his voice dropping a bit of its edge. "Hey, I'm just trying to make conversation."

"Yeah," she sighed, turning to face him - finally. She gave him a sarcastic smile. "I could tell by the way you were staring at my ass." She moved down the hallway without a backwards glance.

Leonard watched her go, a faint smile dancing across his lips. This was going to be one hell of a battle to get her to trust him. Luckily, he was a better fighter than he looked.