The Waverider came back three months after their last visit. Barry had no idea how much time had passed for them, but it really didn't matter.

What surprised him was that only Mick Rory and Ray Palmer exited the ship. Well, no, the first surprise had been getting a call on his cell while he was in his lab, with Ray Palmer at the other end, requesting someone to pick them up.

"I'm currently out of company cars," Ray had explained apologetically. "Actually, I'm out of a company," had been the almost sheepish addition.

Cisco had the van and was currently heading to meet Barry, who had sped to the meeting point. The Waverider had appeared outside Central City, right at the former high speed test site of S.T.A.R. Labs, within ten seconds of Barry's arrival.

"Hello, Flash! Long time no see," greeted him amiably.

Mick shot him a rather neutral look, but his posture was rather relaxed. "Where's the car?" he asked, voice gruff.

"Uh, Cisco's on his way. I was a little faster. What brings you here?"

"Pulled the plug. We're out," Mick rumbled. "Len around?"

"He's… busy. I can't exactly call him. But he's been informed."

Mick grinned. "Busy someplace where a ringing phone might get you made?"

Barry ignored it. He knew exactly where Len was. As his partner had put it, he was expanding his horizon visiting the National Fine Arts Gallery and Museum because of a 'new and riveting exhibit'.

"You're leaving the Legends?" he asked instead.

Ray nodded, exuding a relaxed, at ease air. He was right next to his Sentinel, though not touching, and it seemed that he had no problem with leaving such an incredible opportunity behind, to be a hero, to be recognized for his work as a Legend, not just as a billionaire CEO. Ray had always ever been about leaving a mark on history as someone other than a name on a list; he had wanted to be a hero. But now?

"It was time," he just said, still smiling. "Mick's been getting restless. We needed a change of scenery, something other than jumping around in time. Sentinels are warriors and protectors, but some need more of a territory than others. Mick's the latter kind."

"Haircut…" came the warning snarl. The man was looking almost uncomfortable.

Ray beamed at him. "We're home. It'll get better."

Mick's glare was fearsome, but it bounced off the younger man. "I'm not sick!"

"Of course not. It's Sentinel psychology."

"I'm also not sick in the head."

Ray grew more serious. "No. You're not. This is natural, Mick, and we both know it. We both decided this was the best move." He turned back to Barry. "The Waverider wasn't much of a territory. It was okay for a while, but I could almost feel how it gnawed at him. She wasn't his ship."

"Just shut up." It was close to a growl, relaying a lot of annoyance, but there was a fondness to it, too.

Barry blinked. He looked past the two men as the Waverider's ramp closed and the time-ship lifted off.

Just like that.

No big good-bye.

"We had a party," Ray told him with a fine smile, correctly interpreting Barry's expression. "Big one. Lots of cake. And burgers and beer." He glanced fondly at his Sentinel. "And I, personally, don't regret the decision." His voice was softer now, more thoughtful. "It was an incredible time. I had a reason to follow Rip Hunter's invitation. The reason changed. As a Universal Guide I didn't think I'd ever find a Sentinel compatible to forge a connection with." He glanced at Mick, eyes warm and filled with something very personal. "It was time to start something new."

"Uhm, no bags?" Barry raised his eyebrows, a smile twitching at the corners of his lips. Mick had nothing but the clothes he wore, including a heavy Khaki jacket. Ray had a small weekender bag.

"Nothing worth taking home," Rory grunted. "Just the necessities."

Like the heat gun strapped to his thigh.

"Yeah, well, the suit's… not in a good shape," Palmer added, looking briefly a little less happy. "We had to… blow it up."

"Twice," Mick commented.

Ray grimaced. "Twice."

"Sorry," Barry said, meaning it. He knew how important that armor had always been to Ray, how much the other man had put into it. "You didn't rebuild?"

"Not after the second time. That was the big one. It destroyed a lot that I couldn't rebuild or replace." There was an almost wistful expression on Ray's face. "If we had jumped to the right place, the right time, maybe. I might have been able to improve it, make it a little better, maybe safer. It's currently on hold. What's left of it anyway."

Mick never moved, never touched the other man, but Ray suddenly glanced at the Sentinel, the mournful look disappearing, replaced by a small twitch of his lips.

Cisco had been slightly apprehensive to have Heatwave in the car, but Ray was amiably chatting away and Mick just settled back, arms crossed in front of his broad chest, face unreadable. Barry studied the former supervillain, now also a former Legend, though he doubted he would ever be not a Legend. Just like Len.

A lot had changed for Mick and a lot had happened. Probably a lot more since the last time he had seen him. Rory looked relaxed, if Barry was any judge. Not Zen, but balanced. His eyes gave it away. The burning fire deep within was still there, but differently. It was a reflection of his soul, but no longer mixed with the crazy, the maniacal. Mick Rory had been more than a little unhinged when he had joined the Legends.

The bond. It was all the bond and Ray's presence as his counter-weight.

"Where to?" Cisco asked, glancing at Barry, then daring a quick look into the rearview mirror.

"Well, I hope I still have my penthouse," Ray answered, sounding truly hopeful. "We don't even have a change of clothes."

Mick huffed, looking amused.

"It'll take a while to get my stuff back," Palmer went on, ignoring the Sentinel's expression. "It's not like I can just waltz in there."

"I can," Rory rumbled.

"We're not breaking into my own property!"

"Wouldn't be the first time."

Ray glared at him, then turned back to Barry, who was watching it with silent wonder and amusement.

"How about S.T.A.R. Labs first?" Barry offered calmly. "We have a shower and boxes of old merchandize that sits around unworn. It's all new."

"Not wearing that," Mick growled.

"I'll cut the branding out," Barry deadpanned.

The other man looked at him, then guffawed. "You've been hanging around Leonard too much."

"Comes with the territory," he sniped back.

Mick's smile was all teeth and half as terrifying as some might interpret it.

Barry shot off another text to Len, as well as to Harrison Wells to let them know they were heading towards the team's headquarters. He received an immediate confirmation from his partner, followed by an okay by Wells. Caitlin wasn't in today, which Barry was thankful for. While she was more relaxed around Len, Barry didn't think she would show the same ease when it came to Mick Rory. That would need work.

The second reunion wasn't accompanied, or started by, a fist to the face. Actually, it was a rare non-smirking smile from Len, who looked as close to hugging Mick as he had ever been, and a lot of very much beaming, happy smiles from Ray. The Guide was almost bouncing on the balls of his feet. Mick's expression was so much more human, open, actually relieved and somewhat happy, Barry wondered what had happened to the man.

"Behave," he murmured as he passed by his not-Guide.

Len's brows shot up, the smirk back in place. "Yes, dear."

He groaned and left the two former partners-in-crime to have a rather intense, pretty long talk in a separate room of the cortex, keeping an eye on his shield.

Ray didn't look concerned, just followed him to where Harrison and Cisco were talking.

"Welcome back home, Dr. Palmer," Harrison greeted him.

"It feels good; right. I wouldn't have thought I'd ever want to quit, but here I am."

"So what's it like?" Cisco asked eagerly. "Time travel and visiting the past and the future?"

Ray was only too eager to tell them about their adventures, though some was classified. Barry was amused by some stuff, intrigued by the other, and he understood a lot was truly weird, especially since he hadn't been there to see it himself.

Cisco was clearly fascinated and he asked a ton of questions that had even Harrison roll his eyes.

"You really wanted to get out of such fun?" Cisco asked Ray, who was still happily relaying all kinds of adventures to them. "It sounds so amazing and once in a lifetime! Not sure I'd ever want to get off the Waverider if they let me on it!"

That had the man look suddenly very serious. "Yes. It was time to end our participation in the Legends. For both of us. But especially for Mick. Some stuff happened, something that… kinda stuck to us and changed us. For the better," he added hurriedly.

Barry, still in full Flash gear, shot him a curious look, but Ray's attention was on his Sentinel. Barry watched the two men. Mick was still rather relaxed, his features no longer dominated by that intense, dark look. There wasn't a shred of insanity left, only that fiery strength that reflected his favorite element. The way he held himself, the confidence, how he didn't really hide what he was, right down to the missing gloves, all of that was tell-tale.

Curious.

While Barry couldn't sense other Sentinels, let alone Guides or anything in that regard, he could feel something coming off the other man, and it was reflected by Ray.

"I believe we should feed our guests," Wells interrupted his musings, a fine smile on his lips. He handed Cisco a phone. "They just came back from a very arduous and long journey. We should be more hospitable than a bottle of water and some cereal bars."

Barry's stomach rumbled and Cisco smirked as he dialed the pizza place. Ray just chuckled.

"Anyone say pizza?" Mick could be heard hollering from the other room. "No anchovies, unless you have a death wish!"

"Noted," Cisco muttered.

Cisco ordered a ton of food and drinks that Barry sped off to get, then they all settled in the cortex, familiarizing themselves with what Barry thought was probably going to be the new normal. He doubted that Ray and Mick would simply disappear out of their lives. It would never happen, which meant that trusting Mick with who he was, well, it was a necessary step.

It was easy and yet still accompanied by slight apprehension. Mick was the only one who didn't know. Ray did and he was his Guide, but he hadn't lost a word about it.

"Wasn't my secret to tell," Ray said calmly, the smile gentle and knowing. "Mick never asked either."

The Sentinel shrugged, chewing on his pizza. "Wasn't important."

"No?" Barry blurted.

It got him one of those rather blunt looks. "What? I spent the last years on a time-ship. Why'd I be interested?"

"Uhm."

He snorted. "Kid, even back when I was still trying to roast your scrawny little ass I wasn't interested. That was Leonard's shtick. He was the one who was doing the weird flirty stuff." There was a gleam in those eyes that had Barry want to groan.

Len snickered silently and the meta Sentinel shot him a dark look. "Your decision, Scarlet. I'm not saying you're going to screw up and reveal who you are one day. I know you can handle double and triple lives. But ultimately it's up to you."

Mick looked absolutely disinterested.

Cisco was chewing on pizza and shrugged at Barry, while Harrison just leaned back.

"You want some kind of oath I'm not gonna sell you out?" Mick asked reasonably as he grabbed a beer.

"Which he won't," Ray added with clear conviction.

"Leash," Len teased.

"Shut it, Snart," came the growl from the Sentinel. Mick met Barry's eyes. "You don't cross me or my Guide, I'm gonna keep my mouth shut, Red. Deal?"

"Deal," Barry said calmly.

The speedster shot off and changed, reappearing within a second, wearing the usual dark blue sweats. The surprise was rather… well, not there. More curious and a little calculating than anything else. There was something in those eyes that hadn't been there before. Something powerful and fiery. Something that sized him up, scanned him, catalogued him, then gave him a seal of approval.

"Robbing the cradle, Lenny?" Mick taunted as Barry settled next to his shield.

Snart rolled his eyes. "Like I haven't heard that one before."

"You look like you're barely out of kindergarten, Red."

"Like I haven't heard that one before," Barry deadpanned in a very Snart-like manner.

Ray snorted, almost choking on his lasagna. Mick roughly patted his back.

"I also didn't need his father's consent," Len drawled.

"He just threatened to shoot ya?"

"More than once." The smirk grew. "Detective West did give me the shovel talk, though."

"West, hm?" Mick's curiosity rose a notch.

"Foster dad," Barry muttered, finishing the first pizza and already reaching for the second box.

Mick's expression was almost calculating. "I've seen you before," he said, mouth full. "Cop?"

"Forensic technician."

"Same thing."

"Not really, no. Really not the same thing, actually."

Mick grinned as he met Len's eyes. "You fell for a cop and a superhero?"

"Forensic technician," Len corrected with a lazy grin.

"Same difference. Cop's a cop. He works for the PD. Got a badge."

"Uh, no, a little plastic key card."

Mick snorted. "Cop. You're as much part of getting someone booked as the badge on the street."

"Forensics is not a criminal's friend, Barry," Len teased unhelpfully.

"And I thought you didn't leave incriminating evidence behind," Barry muttered around a piece of triple cheese.

"Where you putting that?" Mick asked gruffly.

"Sped-up metabolism," Ray said before anyone on the team could answer. "Burns up everything before it even goes halfway through his digestive track. Quite an effective system."

Mick grimaced. "TMI, Haircut."

"You asked."

"Still TMI."

Barry leaned back, glancing at Len, who looked absolutely comfortable. Harrison was clearly enjoying the get-together, getting to know the time-travelling, now retired Legends. His eyes were lit up with amusement and interest. Cisco had dropped some of the tension, though he sat as far away from Mick as possible. He had warmed up to Len, so Barry knew it was only matter of time until his friend came to accept the former pyromaniac, too.

The most hair-raising and shocking revelation came after every last crumb of pizza and bread had disappeared. Mick was done talking and left it to Raymond to explain everything, claiming he was stuffed and needed a nap.

He didn't sleep, though. His sharp eyes were still watching them as Ray revealed their changes right before leaving the Waverider.

"Magic?!" Cisco exclaimed, eyes lighting up with excitement. "Real magic?"

"Yes, real magic," Ray agreed.

"You are called totem bearers?" Harrison asked, sounding quite fascinated, as that little new detail was explained.

"Yep. I'm water, Mick's fire."

"Figures," Len drawled, leaning back. "Fire always suited you."

Mick made a non-committal noise.

"There are actually six of them. Fire and water, which is us for now, earth, air, spirit and death. Each totem gives the user dominion over the element the totem controls. Ours fused with us. No idea why," Ray went on, clearly intrigued by what had happened to him and Mick. "We did what we had to, we banished the demon, and they didn't… well… we couldn't take them off and they just… disappeared into our bodies. According to someone we met, the bond gives us the ability to call the totem back to us should it be separated physically from our bodies. She suggested that it's a sign that we're about to start a new path, that it was a crossroads where we had to make a decision."

"You decided to leave," Harrison summed it up.

"Yes."

"I take it the others didn't fuse with their totems?"

"No. The totems look like, well, gems. You have them around your neck."

Mick grimaced at that. Len smirked. Rory made an almost elegant gesture, turning his hand palm up, spread fingers forming a cup, and a ball of orange fire appeared.

Len sat up, brows shooting up, eyes widening a fraction. Yes, he could still be surprised. Being told that his oldest friend had used a magical amulet to defeat a demon, well, daily life aboard the Waverider. Seeing him still use that magic, because the totem was now part of Mick Rory, that had his mind stall for a fraction of a second.

And the way Mick looked at the flame… it was a far cry from his hypnotic stare at a simple fire-lighter flame. He wasn't lost in the fire, he didn't flash back to the darkness, wasn't tether on the brink of the abyss. It was breath-taking to see and now also know how much his oldest friend had healed.

"Wow," Barry breathed. "That's… You can just… conjure it?"

"No idea what I'm doing. Just doing it."

"Can you feel the heat?"

"No."

"It's incredible, actually. Mick can generate, shape and call upon fire. Not to mention shoot fireballs. It's amazingly cool and his control over the element is instinctual. The flames don't hurt him and he can engulf himself in flames and not get burned."

Len smirked at the grin on Mick's face, that pride and knowledge that this was his element.

Ray opened his own palm to show a ball of water. "Hydrokinesis. I do the same with water."

"That's… wow. Just… wow! Did the others return theirs?" Barry asked, shaking his head.

"Sara relinquished hers immediately. She bore the death totem and that held a lot of really dark memories for her. Zari and Amaya kept theirs. Nick gave his back to Kuasa, who also guards the death totem. Kuasa attempted to get ours back, but she couldn't unfuse them. We're stuck with them."

"And you chose that new path," Harrison mused. "Quite an interesting turn of events, Mr. Palmer."

Ray's smile turned more private. "In a way. We might have gotten to that point in our lives on our own, maybe a little later, maybe not soon enough. It was time to… go home."

Mick emptied his beer and reached for the next, drinking half of it. Len watched him, taking in the sudden tension, the way he was constantly scanning the place.

"What are your plans?" Snart asked casually.

"Uhm, well, as I said, Central's home."

"You're not going back to Star City?" Barry asked.

Mick's tension doubled, fingers clenching around the bottle.

"No. I've been declared dead, my company's gone, though the money's still there. Which helps a little. And now that Mick's online as a Sentinel again, well, Central is his territory." Ray's eyes darted toward Barry. "Unless… I mean… uhm… Is this going to be a problem?"

Mick's gaze was suddenly fixed on the speedster. His brows lowered, eyes narrowing. He seemed to scan over Scarlet, finding nothing that could threaten his Sentinel. Len wondered just how much shit would hit the fan if Mick Rory ever found out that Barry Allen was a self-contained, full five senses meta Sentinel.

"You got something against that, Flash?" he demanded, voice gravelly and threatening. "'Cause I'm not leaving my city. Even if you get in the way."

Len felt his muscles coil, his whole body suddenly on alert. He had always been able to read Mick, understand the other man, from before the accident and afterwards. He had no idea how much time had passed since Oculus and what else had changed since their last encounter. But there was no mistaking the reborn Sentinel. Just like there was no mistaking the more stable, more focused mind.

Mick Rory had always been a dangerous man because of his instable, obsessive behavior, the pyromania, and his low impulse control, as well as his physical force. Now he was very much in control of himself and his once again on-lined senses, his protective nature replacing the obsessive disorder when it came to fire. He was focused, he was territorial, and while he was still very much into fire, he now generated fire. From a magical totem.

He was dangerous, yes, but no longer in the way a battering ram was dangerous. He was now more precise, cutting, lethal, and in perfect physical condition.

Barry projected an air of ease that had Len marvel at his Sentinel's guts. Scarlet just shrugged, meeting the fierce stare head-on. "Depends on what side of the line you are playing. I'm not going to turn a blind eye on any criminal activities."

Rory snorted. He emptied the beer. "Wanna make it a bet how good you are at stopping me, now that I have fire powers, Red?"

"You'd have to hit me first."

Len heard and almost felt the humor, the teasing, and the phrase 'play with fire' had never been more apt.

There was suddenly a golfball-sized fireball in Mick's hands. "I'm pretty fast with that fire, kid."

Barry tilted his head as if he was considering it. "Depends on how good you are throwing it, Heatwave."

"Oh, I've trained a lot," he said with a dark, low thrum. "Moving targets are always more fun."

"Mick," he now drawled, radiating a warning through his body language alone.

Pale blue eyes bore into darker blue ones and Mick chuckled.

"Relax, Leonard. I'm not gonna set the place on fire."

Snart raised his eyebrows. "Not what I remember."

"He's really good at controlling his element," Ray piped up, looking proud.

Mick grinned, but there was pride shining in his eyes. Pride and something else. Something whole and healed, something that had come out of the darkness healed and not shattered to pieces. Len suspected it was primarily Ray's guiding, even only subtly, which had led him to accept a deeper connection and finally a real Sentinel-Guide bond. Without that stability and the control, Mick would never have been able to wield the fire totem and it would never have chosen to fuse with the man.

"I'd appreciate you not setting S.T.A.R. Labs on fire," Harrison remarked, giving the pyrokinetic a pointed look.

"Oh, we can easily take this outside." Mick shot Barry a challenging look as he moved his fingers in a wave-like motion, the fireball rolling over them. A second one appeared, this a bright blue. "You in, Red?"

Len's eyes narrowed and Mick guffawed.

"I'm not going to turn the kid into a crisp." Fire licked over his fingers as the fireball disappeared, and he grinned maliciously. "I'm also not going to rob the first place I like. I'm a good guy now." The grin was now actually terrifying with a side of playful.

"I'm also not going to stand by and let you set fire to a friend or just… steal stuff or kill people!" Ray said, voice harder now, just like his eyes. "You're a Sentinel, Mick Rory. A protector. And I'm not a criminal. We are not starting a criminal career! If it's about the money, I have it." He stared at Mick, expression hard and unyielding. "If this is about some kind of posturing thing, some primal Sentinel stuff you need to work out, I'm going to kick your ass from here to Keystone!"

A brief, rather warm smile crossed Mick's lips that had Len sit back, secretly astounded. Yes, he knew those two had bonded, but Mick's reaction to his Guide was quite tell-tale. There were so many small clues, but seeing him display the bond so openly was… stunning.

"Sure thing, Haircut. Wanna see you try."

Ray's expression didn't change. His very aura was sharp and full of annoyance.

Mick laughed, a low, rough sound. "Okay, whatever you want, but the bad guys have all the fun, you know. Should I get bored, I'll join those two and shoot at some metas."

Barry smiled brightly. "Deal."

"What?"

Len laughed. "Well played," he lauded.

Ray beamed at his Sentinel. Mick just stared at him, then snarled something under his breath. But there was no anger. His eyes gleamed with something Len had seen there last before that fateful fire that had off-lined the Sentinel.

It was back.

And Leonard Snart knew they were just beginning to understand how interesting their lives would get.