ayo sorry this one was so late lol

Honestly though, even though I totally update all my stories frequently, im looking forward to this chapter. Its the first one in months where im actually writing my own story, so i'm looking forward to it. I hope yall are too because things are about to ramp up. Probably. I mean we'll see because i don't actually have a definitive plan or anything.

NOW BEFORE WE BEGIN i need to address one thing: the fact that nobody said anything about there being a new multiverse despite Sara thinking there was only one earth. To be honest, I didn't really think about it, but really, she's already on a completely different earth. I don't think she'd really be that surprised. The others wouldn't really be surprised at all.

One more thing: Because I don't actually have an outline or plan for the story, there's bound to be continuity errors and stuff. So if you guys catch any, please let me know and I'll try to fix it!

Anyway on to the story.

A thick silence hung over the group as they shuffled around in the morning. Christian, albeit unwillingly, had gotten up early to get ready for school while the heroes lay in a bit of a funk. Christian, the least affected out of the five, mentioned to the group that he was leaving for school and that they were free to do whatever they wanted to do as long as they weren't spotted, which they acknowledged in their own ways. With him out of the house, the four start moving around slowly.

"Ava," Sara says to her girlfriend on the Waverider. She had gotten up and tiptoed out of her sleeping space in Emma's room with Sara and was pacing around in Christian's apartment.

"Hey Sara," Ava replies. "How's it going? How are you?"

"I've been better," she replies with a half-smile.

"What happened? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, it's just…" Sara trails off. "I'm gonna come back to the Waverider. I wanna talk to you and to the rest of the team in person."

"Oh, okay," Ava replies, concerned. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I will be, babe," Sara smiles. With that, she ends the call with Ava and throws on some decent clothes, getting ready to head out the door.

"Heading out?"

Sara turns around sharply to see Barry standing in the doorway. "Barry, hi," she says quickly.

"Hey, Sara," he replies with a small smile. "How you holding up?"

"I've been better," Sara admits, shrugging. She looks at the floor before continuing. "It's just, having to see Ollie's death twice is…"

"I get it," he says, nodding and walking up to her.

Sara scoffs. "How could you?" she asks, looking up at him.

Barry chuckles quietly and shakes his head. "I saw my mother's murder at least twice. I saw my dad get killed right in front of me. I saw a timeline where you, Felicity, Thea, Ollie, Cisco, Caitlin, and," Barry stops and sighs, "Laurel were all wiped out. But to see Ollie gone, and, like, really gone, I mean…" he trails off. "I get it, you know?"

"Barry, I had no idea," Sara says softly.

Barry just gives her a small smile before looking at the ground and sighing loudly. "So where you heading?" he asks her.

"Oh, um, yeah, I'm gonna go back to the Waverider for a bit, I need to talk to the team about some things," Sara answers.

"Oh yeah, how are they?"

"Oh, they're doing fine," Sara chuckles. "You know how we are."

"Ah," Barry chuckles. "That kind of fine."

"Yep," Sara nods.

"Why aren't they down here with the rest of us, though?"

"First of all, I don't trust them to not get into trouble. Second of all, Christian told you about people on this earth that look just like us and are famous, right?"

Barry nods in response as Sara continues. "Yeah, I just, I don't want any headaches right now. Any more headaches. Right now."

"Ah, got it," Barry nods. "Well, have fun."

Sara chuckles. "I'll try." The two of them share a quick hug before Sara heads out.

"Who was that?" Kara asks, popping her head out of her room and looking at Barry.

"Don't you have super hearing?"

"Well, yeah, but it only works if I'm actually listening," Kara pouts. "Who was that?"

"Who do you think?"

"Was it Sara?"

"Yeah."

"Where's she going?"

"She's, uh, going to check up on her team in the Waverider."

"Ohh, right, I forgot they were here too."

"Yup, they are," Barry nods before getting something to eat from Christian's kitchen. Kara shrugs and closes the door. Barry emerges from the kitchen seconds later, holding a PBJ sandwich and one of Cisco's protein bars. He walks to the open window and absentmindedly eats, staring at everything and nothing at the same time.

"Hey."

Barry turns around to see Oliver walking up beside him. "Hey, Ollie," he says, leaning on the windowsill. "How you holding up?"

"I've been better," Oliver sighs.

Barry chuckles. "Tell me about it."

"Normally, seeing my own death wouldn't phase me," Oliver says quietly, joining his friend by the window, "but seeing how shaken Sara was really got to me. I know I tell you I never get unnerved, but honestly, this was pretty close."

"Well, I'd be worried if you weren't," Barry says. Oliver raises an eyebrow at him. "I mean, you watched yourself die. Twice."

"Like I said, I can deal with the death part," Oliver says a bit harshly. "It's knowing what my family and friends have to deal with that's hard."

"I get it, man," Barry sighs. The two stand in silence, gazing out of the window.

"You ever wonder what our lives would've been like if we never became heroes?" Barry asks after a few long moments.

"I don't have to wonder, Barry, I got to see it," Oliver says. Barry looks at him quizzically. "When the Dominators captured me, Sara, Thea, Dig, and Ray, they put us in some kind of shared dream where we all got to see what our lives would have been like if we'd never put on the costumes. I was going to be married to Laurel. Sara was doing well in whatever she was doing, Thea ran Verdant, Ray was rich and successful and engaged to Felicity, and Dig was the Green Arrow. Everyone had their happy ending, and yet it felt off. Like, it was everything we ever wanted and yet it wasn't…"

"Full?" Barry suggests.

"Yeah, it wasn't full," Oliver nods. "I wasn't really me, you know?"

"Yeah, man, I get it," Barry sighs. "When I created Flashpoint I got to see what life would've been like if my parents were never murdered and I never became the Flash. And it was great in some ways, but in others it was just horrible."

Oliver nods and sighs, looking down. The two stand in a heavy silence until, minutes later, Barry notices something strange.

"Hey Ollie," he says, tapping his friend's shoulder. "Do you see that?" He points to the unknown abnormality, something that seems to be a black shadow travelling quickly across the horizon. By the time Oliver looks up, however, it's already gone.

"See what?"

"Huh," Barry frowns, looking around. "I could've sworn…"

Before he could finish his thought, a breach opens, swallowing him and leaving the space he was just standing in completely empty, much to the shock and horror of two onlookers.

"BARRY?!" Kara nearly screams.

"Hey, babe," Sara smiles at Ava, walking up the ramp to the Waverider and hugging her girlfriend.

"Hey, Sara," Ava smiles back. Noticing the haunted look on Sara's face, she frowns. "Are you okay?"

"Let's just say I have a lot to talk about," Sara answers. "Can you call the team to the bridge?"

"Sure thing," Ava nods and turns to do so. Before she leaves, she turns back to Sara. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I will be, thanks," Sara smiles wearily at Ava. Ava nods, concerned, but goes off to grab the rest of the Legends.

Once they all arrive on the bridge, with some snide comments courtesy of one Mick Rory, Sara begins. "So, as you all know, 2016 Oliver, Barry, and Kara are stuck here on this Earth. Has anyone come up with any ideas on how to get them back?"

"Wait, so you haven't been gathering intel on that?" Ava asks.

"No," Sara asks after a slight pause. "Things didn't exactly go the way I planned, and on top of that, they're my friends, and I'm not just gonna barge in and start nosing around at everything."

"Isn't that what we normally do?" Mick says offhandedly.

"True, but…" Sara sighs. "It's complicated." She looks at the floor for a few seconds before regaining her composure. "Any ideas?"

"Have you thought about using Barry's Speed Force?" Ray asks. "I mean, in theory-"

"He tried," Sara interrupts. "It didn't work, for some reason."

"It wouldn't work anyway, love," Constantine adds. "Interdimensional energy and all that."

"Well, Barry said the Speed Force could have taken him back," Sara counters.

"Of course it could, because he draws energy from it," he answers, lighting a cigarette. "But for those of us not struck by lightning, the energy would be too much for us to handle."

"Then why could I be in the Speed Force when Oliver was restoring the universe?" Sara asks, crossing her arms.

"Simple, love," John says, putting his lighter away and taking a breath of smoke. "Oliver, or the Spectre's energy created a sort of barrier to keep you from dying. That barrier probably did wonders for the Speed Force, though."

"What are you saying?" Ray asks. "The Speed Force is...dying?"

"Possibly, yes," he answers.

"But how-"

"Let's not worry about that, mate," John says quickly. "What we need to worry about is getting those three home and keeping them away from anything that could tell them the future."

Sara sucks in a sharp breath.

"Sara?" Ava questions suspiciously.

"Yeah, about that," Sara grimaces.

"Oh bloody hell," John groans.

"Well, what did they see?" Charlie asks. "It can't be that bad, can it?"

"Well…"

"No," Charlie says in disbelief. "Are you telling me they know? About-"

"About the bloody Crisis, Sara, I swear to God Himself if you let them know about Crisis," John sighs, flicking his cigarette across the room.

"Hey, it wasn't on me," Sara says defensively. "Oliver strongarmed the kid into showing them. And I mean that literally, he almost broke his arm. Kara and I tried to get him to back off but the kid decided to show them Crisis."

"Wait, hold on, what do you mean, 'show?'" Ava asks.

"Yeah, so on this earth, our lives are basically tv shows," Sara explains awkwardly. "It's really weird, but somehow they have it all down perfectly. And in that vein, they managed to see all of Crisis. Even some parts I never saw."

"Please tell me you at least erased their memories," Nate says jokingly. When Sara doesn't respond, his face drops. "You're kidding."

"Don't they deserve to know?" Sara asks, pained.

"Sara, you know what could happen if-" Ava begins.

"I know, I know," Sara yells. "I just thought that maybe, maybe something could finally go our way. And it's not like I even changed it in the first place!"

"No, no, we're not blaming you," Ava says.

"I know, but still," Sara sighs. "I know I should erase their memories, but I don't know if I can."

"Alright, I'll do it," John says bluntly, walking towards the door.

"John, no," Sara, Ava, Ray, Nate, and Behrad quickly stop him.

"I thought this was the whole point to what we do here," John says, raising an eyebrow.

"I know, but there's gotta be a different way," Sara says. She turns towards the front of the ship, looking out towards the grassy terrain. Suddenly, she sees something blue approaching them very quickly.

"Uh, guys, something's coming right at us," she says, getting behind the console as the rest of the team scramble to their feet. Before anyone can make a move, however, the blue object slams into the front of the ship, revealing Kara with her face pressed against the metal.

"Guys!" she yells. No one inside can hear her, so Sara quickly lowers the ramp of the ship to allow her to get in. "Kara, what's going on?"

"Barry's gone."