Notes: Okay, I'm gonna be real with you all. For me this is a huge project, there is a lot of research, writing, editing rewriting, and more editing that goes into this. Not to mention my two beta readers, who are amazing and I like to give them all the time they need. Plus, I'm in college and I like to be free to pursue other creative projects. I love this work and am so happy that I'm finally writing it, but it's going to be another two to three months before the next chapter. I am so thankful for all the kind kudos and comments about how much you enjoy my story, but your update pleas and demands just make it worse because I AM still working on it, but it takes time! So please be kind and understand my timeline for this.
That being said I am so happy to present the next chapter for you! I hope you all enjoy it!
February 7th, 2020.
Sara had walked down the hall and was making her "goodbye rounds," as Ray called them. It was early afternoon and everything had been quiet, no mission or monsters so Sara felt good about leaving early for Ava's "physical" or her prenatal appointment. She found Ray in the Lab tinkering with something.
"Hey, I'm heading out," she said, popping her head in.
"Alright," he said looking disappointed.
"I'll be back tonight, remember?" she reassured him. "Ava and I are still making dinner."
"I know," Ray said, still looking disappointed.
"Is everything alright?" Sara asked, moving in to lean against the door.
"Kind of, I just wanted to talk to you about having you back me up, especially with chores. Things have lapsed around here and Zari and Charlie won't listen to me."
Sara nodded, knowing how hard it was to get the others to do anything they didn't want to. "Why don't you tell them to do their chores while I'm gone and I'll back you up and give them a reprimand if they don't?"
"Thanks Sara," he said, returning to his work.
Sara smiled and left, walking around until she found Charlie, Mona, Behrad, and Zari sitting in the kitchen.
"I'm going to head out to the Bureau for Ava's appointment. Ray's in charge while I'm gone, please listen to him when he asks you guys to do your chores."
"You got it Cap," Mona said giving her a two finger salute with her usual enthusiasm.
"Mine are already done," Behrad said, with a smirk.
"Yeah alright," Charlie mumbled, as she and Zari barely looked up from their food.
"Zari?" Sara asked finally getting her to look up. "Can you help Ray out if he needs it?"
Zari let out a dramatic sigh, as if Sara had asked her to do something impossible. Sara knew that Zari could get all of the Legends to listen to her if she really tried.
"Okay."
Sara sighed and left the galley. She knew that Zari didn't mind helping her out, but wondered if Zari was annoyed that Sara didn't put her in charge instead. Ray was certainly capable, but Zari was more likely to keep them out of trouble and handle anything that came their way. However, for the few hours when nothing was bound to happen and when the domestic work had to be done, Ray was who Sara relied on.
Sara continued to think as she walked up to the second level, which mostly held their cabins. She grabbed her purse and coat, putting them on before she found Mick in his room lifting weights.
"Hey, I'm off to a prenatal appointment with Ava."
"Okay," he gruffed, not looking up at her.
Sara let her disappointment slide. "Can you set a good example and listen to Ray when he asks you guys to do your chores this afternoon?"
"Fine," he said.
It seemed like everyone was mad at her today. The alert for her appointment on her phone went off, and she knew she had to leave now if they wanted to make her appointment on time. Sara shrugged and she stepped foot into his room, what was the point of being time travelers if they didn't use it.
"Is everything okay with you?" Sara questioned. "You seem distant."
Mick stopped mid set and placed the dumbbell on the floor. He looked down at the floor and Sara waited for him to speak.
"When are you moving in with Ava?" he asked, looking up at her with soft eyes.
"Not right away," Sara assured him. "But, it will probably be within the next month or so."
Sara reached for the engagement ring that she currently kept on a necklace that was under her shirt and twirled it between her fingers.
"I'm not leaving the Legends, I just won't be around as much."
"Why can't Pantsuit just move back in with you on the Waverider? It worked fine when the Time Bureau was shut down last fall."
"You know why," Sara said softly. "We can't raise a child here. They deserve to have a full childhood in a safe and open place, in one time zone where they can make friends and build their own life."
"I'm real happy for you Sara, I am," he said, looking away from her again. "I just don't want to lose you too."
"You're not going to lose me. Things are going to change, yes, and even if I do end up leaving the Legends sometime in the very far future, you and I are always going to be friends. And chances are Ray is going to have us all over for a weekly dinner night whether we like it or not."
He laughed at that, and nodded, finally looking back at her, catching sight of the ring that Sara was playing with. "She proposed, didn't she?"
"Yeah," Sara said, pulling out the ring and looking down on it.
"We're making dinner tonight and Ava and I are announcing our engagement and the pregnancy to everybody else. Can I count on you to let me explain it to them without everything decending into chaos?" she asked. They both knew how quickly their meetings and discussions could get off track as everyone talked at once.
"Yeah," he smiled.
Sara smiled back, happy to know that at least Mick would always support her. She turned around, letting the door to his cabin close behind her before she opened the portal into Ava's office.
"Ready?" Ava asked, already with her coat on.
"Yep," Sara replied, as Ava held out her hand and they intertwined their fingers before they headed out.
Sara bounced her right knee as she held a cup of water in her left hand. The receptionist had pointed her in the direction of the water cooler upon their check in. Sara needed to have a full bladder by the time they did an ultrasound at the end of the appointment.
Ava captured her free hand and gave it a squeeze, looking over at Sara. "I know you're nervous, but you're going to spill your water, Babe."
"I have to go," Sara whispered to her.
"Whoa, Sara slow down," Ava said, turning to face her. "It's okay. It's just an appointment. It's nothing we haven't already done."
"No Ava, I have to pee," Sara said, as she crossed her legs and continued to bounce her legs.
Ava grimaced but, leaned in to whisper. "I know it's tough but, they're going to ask you for a urine sample once we get back there. You also need a full bladder for the ultrasound in an hour. Can you hold it for a little bit longer?"
"No," Sara said, a little louder than she intended, catching the attention of the three other patients in the waiting room.
A woman with short red hair, who was heavily pregnant and seated across from them leaned forward, not bothering to whisper. "Just ask the receptionist to tell the nurse you need to go. They'll give you a cup, they don't mind."
"Thank you," Sara said, with a sigh of relief.
She got up and walked up to the counter, where the nurse quickly printed out a label and gave her a cup, pointing her in the direction of the bathroom.
"When I was pregnant with my first, I had to go all the time. I made the terrible mistake of thinking I could hold it, especially at work, and ended up having quite a few accidents," the redhead said with a laugh.
Ava chuckled with her out of obligation and decided not to share that little tidbit of information with Sara when she got back.
"It's so sweet of you to go with your sister to these appointments. I wish I could get my husband to come along, without having to drag him in by his ear," she said with another laugh.
Ava frowned at the woman's statement, feeling sorry that she had to convince her partner to support her, and that she had assumed she and Sara were sisters. They had acted like a couple the entire time they were there and apart from the blonde hair that wasn't even the same shade, they looked nothing alike.
"Actually she's my fianceé," Ava said.
"Oh," she said with a tight smile that told Ava of her disapproval, and the conversation ended there.
The nurse called her name just as Sara was returning from the bathroom, and she took them back to their exam room. She quickly gave Sara the usual battery of blood pressure, weight and height tests. Afterwards, they met with Miranda, and she examined Sara before going over her recent symptoms and her injury from London.
"I'm going to ask you to be more careful in the field," Miranda said. "And I'm advising you against getting into any more fights."
"Yeah, that's reasonable," Sara said.
"How's your nausea doing? Have you gotten any relief from the medication that I gave you?" Miranda asked, referencing over the counter nausea relief she had advised Sara to take.
"It's been much better since I started taking it. I still get nauseous a lot, but I'm not throwing up as much."
"That's good," Miranda said, jotting it down in Sara's file.
"I see you gained a few pounds, and I'd like to see your weight increase by at least five pounds before our next appointment. How's your sleep been? Have you been taking any naps? And how many hours are you getting at night?"
"About seven hours at night, and then the occasional hour nap in the afternoons," Sara replied.
"It's been more like eight hours a night and an hour to a half an hour nap, so nine or ten hours," Ava said.
"Okay," Miranda said, chuckling when Sara shot Ava a look, to which she just shrugged. "Let me know if that changes. I think we're all set. I'll send you down to the ultrasound technician and call you with the results in a few days."
Sara and Ava smiled brightly as Miranda gathered her things and said goodbye. A few minutes later they were across the hospital at the imaging lab. The ultrasound technician, a black woman in her late forties, who introduced herself as Lynette, was there getting everything set up. The lights were dimmed, and she placed the warm jelly on Sara's lower abdomen. Sara gasped as the black and white picture appeared on the screen. They were transfixed on the image of their child.
"Look at their little arms and legs," Sara cooed, then turned her head to look at Ava. "It's a real baby."
Ava laughed and looked back at the screen, "Yeah Sara, what were you expecting?"
"You know what I mean," Sara huffed and turned back to the ultrasound image. "Last time it was just a little bud and now you can actually see them!"
"Yeah," Ava sighed, looked down at Sara's belly then back up to their baby displayed on the screen. She could hardly believe it was all real, even if she had lived this reality for the past month and a half. She was on cloud nine as she stared at the image.
"Are you doing the Nuchal translucency scan?" Sara asked, as the technician zoomed in on the baby's neck and was taking measurements.
"Yes," Lynette said, not taking her eyes off the screen. "But I can't tell you if it looks abnormal or not. Dr. Coburn will go over the results with you."
"Okay," Ava said, giving Sara's hand a squeeze. Sara looked over at her and gave her a reassuring smile before they both turned their eyes back to the screen and the picture of their little baby moving around. The rest of the ultrasound flew by, and soon enough Sara was cleaning off the jelly.
"I'm assuming you two want some pictures? Do you have a specific number you need me to print up?"
"About five," Ava said at the same time Sara said. "Fifteen."
"What?" Ava asked.
"Babe, we've got a lot of friends and family."
"Yeah, but I doubt that everyone will want one and we can always just photocopy more."
"Yeah, I guess," Sara said, sitting up.
Lynette giggled, "I'll print eight copies for you."
"Thank you," they said as Lynette smiled, then left. Ava took the paper towels from her and threw them away. She grabbed Sara's hand and gave it a squeeze leaning in for a quick kiss.
Lynette came back with the photos and sent them on their way. Ava stared down at her copy of the photo, completely enamored with the image before her. They stepped back onto the Waverider, having a portal into the kitchen that was unusually empty. Ava took the opportunity to wrap her arms around Sara's waist from behind, resting her hands on Sara's belly and kissing her neck. Sara leaned into her, relaxing into their embrace.
"Do you think we have some time before we need to start dinner?" Sara asked turning her neck to let Ava kiss her away up to her ear.
"I think we can make time," Ava whispered in her ear.
Sara turned around to give her a proper kiss, letting her warm lips linger on Ava's before she pulled away. Sara grabbed Ava's hand, giving her a sultry smile before leading her to their bedroom.
"This is a bad idea; someone's going to choke," Ava said, as she chopped vegetables at the counter.
She looked over to where Sara was, on the other side of the kitchen sitting at the table. Sara was half finished and had stopped once the buns were done, pulling them out of the oven and setting them on a plate. She held one of the fresh buns and a baggie of tiny plastic babies.
"No one's gonna choke," Sara assured her.
Ava sent her a disbelieving look.
"Okay, maybe there's a possibility of someone choking. I'll just set them under the buns on their plates."
"Thank you," Ava said, returning to her vegetables, relieved that Sara had given up on the hazardous joke.
The plan was to tell the Legends that night at dinner. It was one of the only times, other than a mission brief, that they could count on all of them being present. No one wanted to skip a meal, especially when it was Sara and Ava's cooking.
"Where did you get the recipe for this Chicken Ricotta?" Ava asked. Reading it over again, she smiled at Sara's curly lettering and choice of blue ink on the white index card.
"It was my Dad's recipe."
Ava looked up to see Sara giving her a soft smile as she resumed setting the table. "When my parents realized that they had sent Laurel off to college having only learned how to cook mac and cheese, my father decided that he would make it his mission to make sure that I knew how to cook. He taught me all of the family recipes and made me help cook every dinner. At the time it was annoying, but now I'm thankful he insisted on it."
Ava smiled, and they went back to their respective tasks. After she had finished setting up, Sara came back and helped her finish the chicken. Soon enough the sweet smell of the meal filled the ship. The other Legends started poking their nose in, just enough to get a taste, but far enough away to avoid being roped into helping.
"Alright, Gideon, rally the troops," Sara said, as she placed the cast iron pan in the middle of the table.
"Is it ready?" Zari asked, popping her head in, having probably been waiting outside.
Sara gestured to the set table before her and took a seat next to Ava. Zari smiled and ran in, followed closely by Charlie. They both took their seats at the table and Zari grabbed for one of the buns that Sara had arranged on the plate in front of her.
"Wait until everyone gets here first," Sara said, slapping her hand away.
"Fine," Zari whined, rolling her eyes as if it was the most inconvenient thing in the world. She pulled out her phone and started up a game as Charlie watched over her shoulder.
Soon the rest of the Legends filed in and Sara repeated her warning to wait until Nate and Behrad finally joined them. It was a full house with everyone currently staying on board.
"Where's John and Gary?" Ray asked.
"They're out on a date. Apparently, they went to this new restaurant or something that Gary's been dying to go to," Ava said, setting down the fresh salad that she had forgotten was in the fridge and returning to her seat.
"This looks amazing," Behrad said as he and Nate sat down.
"Thank you," Sara said, proud of the dinner they had made.
"It's a shame that some of us are too enraptured in our phones to enjoy it," Behrad said, his quip directed at Zari and Charlie, who were still looking at Zari's phone.
"Hey, we were waiting here for you," Zari jeered.
"Okay," Ava said, stopping the sibling's squabble.
"Wait," Nate said, suddenly standing and pulling Behrad up with him. "Before we get started."
"Sorry to interrupt," Gideon said. "But there is a level ten anachronism that must be fixed before it solidifies its place in history. Apparently a witch is trying to take over the world."
The crew was a mixture of excitement and displeasure at Gideon's announcement, and Ava slid down to slump in her seat. She was disappointed that they weren't allowed to announce their news. Although by the sound of it, Behrad and Nate had some exciting news that they wouldn't have wanted to overshadow.
Sara sighed, but claps her hands together, getting their attention. "All right, everybody gear up and be on the bridge in ten."
"Is everybody needed for this mission?" Nate asked, "We were supposed to meet our parents later."
"No, go ahead you guys," Sara said as they all got up and left the room.
"Great, that means I get this?" Zari said holding up the air totem, that until two seconds ago was around Behrad's wrist.
"Thief," he shouted at her.
"Who said she stole it?" Charlie said.
"That's not fair, what if I need it? You already have a fire breathing dragon," he said gesturing to Mithra who trotted alongside Zari. Mithra had been shrunk down to the size of a tiger so they could easily fit on the ship.
"It's a level 10. All hands on deck," Zari said. She and Charlie giggled as they ran out of the room.
"Hey don't worry about it. We don't need it," Nate said, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend.
"Yeah, we're only telling your mother that we're engaged," Behrad said throwing his hands up in the air.
Nate just laughed and leaned in for a kiss. "You know how long my mother has been waiting for us to get engaged. I'm sure she's got everything already planned out. She'll be over the moon when we tell her. It's your mother that I'm worried about."
Now it was Behrad's turn to laugh. "Are you kidding me? my Mama adores you. My Baba on the other hand…"
"What, did your Dad say something about me?" Nate said, panicking.
"No, no, I'm just teasing you," Behrad said, laughing again. He leaned in and kissed Nate, waiting for his boyfriend to melt into his embrace. "Now come on."
Behrad pulled him out of his seat as Nate grabbed a bun on the way out, and bit into it as Behrad open the portal for them.
"Muhp, why does this have a baby in it?" he asked, pulling out the plastic toy.
Behrad just shrugged, and they exchanged confused looks as they both walked through the open portal.
"A mysterious monster is wreaking havoc on the local gardening scene in Miami Dade County," Ray said, reading over the report from the magic time seismograph Sara had pulled up on the monitors. "I don't think this counts as a level ten."
"That's because it's before this," Sara said, putting up the news clip she had found.
The footage showed the destruction of Miami, as one woman, the witch presumably, floated above the streets. There was a monster the size of a skyscraper in the background, destroying one of the buildings.
"It looked like this is the start of it all," Ava said, looking at the paper Ray was reading.
They each looked at the pictures of the ruined gardens from the newspapers. Flower bushes had been stomped, flower baskets were torn down, and statues reduced to ruble.
"Look at this," Nora said, pointing to the article she was reading.
"I didn't see that one in any of the police reports," Ray said, as he leaned over her shoulder.
"It looked like it was never touched by the vandals. It's from the winning garden in one of the issues of Garden Monthly," Nora said.
"Mrs. Joan Watkins, for her renaissance inspired garden, complete with a fountain she sculpted herself," Ray read from the article. The picture he was reading the description of was of an elderly woman with curly gray hair and a classic 70s floral dress. She was standing behind a statue of a man that was atop the fountain in the middle of her magnificent garden.
"It's from a couple of weeks after the last report was filed. Look at the statue," Nora said, pointing out the marble figure of a man on a pedestal atop a three tiered fountain. "It's the statue of David, just like the one in Rome."
"Why would that be suspicious?" Zari asked. "I'm sure hundreds of people have a replica in their backyard."
"Something feels magical about it," Nora murmured.
"Doesn't look like the work of a monster to me," Rory said, pointing at the human shaped footprints. "Probably just a bunch of kids messing around."
"Well bored teenagers or not, Gideon says this is the first sign of trouble, so that's where we should go," Ava said.
"And it's up to us to investigate. So I hope you're all ready to get your groove on because we are headed to the seventies." Sara said, with her usual finger guns.
"Blimey, that is David!" Charlie shrieked, zooming in on the picture.
"Yeah, that's what I just said," Nora replied.
"No, he's a troll, his name is David," Charlie explained. "I met him in the dimensional prison."
"Oh that's cool," Ray said.
"So cool," Zari said, as they first bumped.
"He's probably the monster in the video, and why everyone's garden is smashed."
"Nah it can't be. David's harmless, he wouldn't do this."
"What can you tell us about him?" Sara asked.
"I've only met him a handful of times, but it's your basic troll stuff. Turns to stone during the day and at night he comes to life, but he wouldn't do this. The only reason he got locked up in that place was because people were afraid of him. He was one of the only kind persons there. That witch must be manipulating him, I know it," Charlie said.
"I thought trolls were supposed to be ugly?" Rory wondered aloud.
"That's just the Christian influence, portraying the trolls as ugly monsters because they refused to be baptized and adapt to the new religion. So they told tales of them being uncivilized and dirty, in order to keep humans from interacting with them," Nora said.
"Sounds like familiar tactics," Zari grumbled.
"Okay everybody get strapped in," Sara said, walking up to her Captain's chair. "This time around Charlie, Ray and I will approach the house, talk to Mrs. Watkins, and try to find a time that we can safely take David to. Zari, you quarterback the mission from the ship and Ava, Mick, and Nora can case the place."
"Sara wait," Ava said, catching Sara's arm leaning in to whisper in her ear.
"If this woman is as powerful as she seems, I don't want you going anywhere near her."
Sara looked frustrated and glanced around the room at the others who were all staring at them.
"It's just a recon mission and I won't be in any danger. You'll be just around the corner and if anything goes wrong you can swoop in and save me. You said you'd let me do my job, and that you trusted me, so please, I'm asking you to trust me."
"Okay," Ava said, letting go of Sara's arm and sitting in the chair to her right.
"How are we supposed to get into this woman's house?" Charlie asked.
"Simple," Sara said, punching in the coordinates for the 1973 Florida suburb. "We'll just tell her we want to interview her for having the best garden in the county."
"This hat is itching me," Charlie said, picking at the straw hat that was atop her head.
"I'll wear it then," Ray said, taking the hat and putting it on his head.
"You look like a farmer," Sara said, taking it off his head and putting it in his bag. "We're supposed to be journalists."
"Look, she's coming," Charlie said as she peeked in the side window. Sara plastered on a big smile, but rubbed her stomach over her overalls. The nausea had eased over the past week, but was still a dull feeling that made her uneasy. There was also some sort of smell that she couldn't pinpoint and it wasn't helping.
Joan Watkins opened the door wearing a bright yellow sundress with sunflowers printed on it, similar to the shirt Ray was wearing under his jean overalls. As she smiled at them, Sara was happy she had convinced Charlie to put on a white flowered shirt to match, even if it was hidden behind her bulky camera.
"Well hello. How can I help you?" She asked.
"Hello, Mrs. Watkins," Ray said, straightening up. "We're from Garden and Backyard magazine and we were wondering if we could feature your garden in our annual 'local yard profile.' We heard about your garden from some of your neighbors and the other town's folk and we would love to profile you in this month's issue."
From the moment Joan opened the door Sara had recognized the Avon perfume from her grandfather's collection of bottles. She held her smile and her breath as her stomach did flip flops. The smell always made her crinkle her nose as a child, and now it's effects overwhelmed her senses.
"Oh well, I'd be honored to be in your magazine," Joan gushed. "Why don't you come on in and I'll lead you through to the garden."
"Why don't we walk around the side of the house? I'd love to see the path you have there," Sara suggested. There was a gentle breeze that would wash away any perfume that lingered on Joan.
"Sounds good," she easily agreed. "I've got some lovely sweet peas growing along the fence there."
"Well, I'll let you lead the way," Ray said, gesturing for her to go ahead of them.
Joan led them around the back, and Sara let Ray and Charlie go on in front of her. Ray turned on his natural charm, letting his personality shine and Joan took an instant liking to him. As they reached the garden, they spotted the fountain was in the middle of the oasis. Joan led them around, introducing them to all of her plants, making sure to tell them each plants' names.
"That's David all right," Charlie whispered to Sara, as they held up the camera to take a picture of him. "See the little chip under his shoulder."
Sara looked to where Charlie was pointing and saw the chip off of his shoulder blade. "Are you sure?"
"Positive," Charlie said.
"Great, now get out of there," Ava chimed in their ears. "We found a vantage point in the forest behind the house and we can stake it out tonight. We'll take David back to the ship and interrogate him about Joan's plan and then make a move on her tomorrow."
"Give us a minute," Sara whispered back. "We still don't know what her plans are."
"Or how she's keeping David locked up in here," Charlie added.
"If we could get inside the house, Charlie could look around while Ray and I keep her occupied."
"No, it's too dangerous," Ava insisted.
Sara thought it over. She could pull Charlie back if Joan became too suspicious, but there was a chance that if discovered, she could hurt them and keep them captive.
"Are you sure I can't offer you folks any refreshments?"
"No, we really should get going," Sara said, lingering on the steps.
"Oh," she said, saddened by Sara's words. "It's just that I don't get many visitors these days. Most of my friends are in the old folks' home and I don't have any kids who come visit. It's always so nice to have young folk around."
"I'm sure we can stay for a little while, right?" Ray asked, looking back at her, from over Joan's shoulder she saw him mouth "We need to know her plan."
Ray was right. They couldn't leave without at least trying to figure out what Joan's plan was, but Sara didn't want to put herself and her child in unnecessary danger.
"I don't see why not. I'll go put the equipment in the car and meet you inside?."
Charlie handed Sara the camera and recorders before taking a cookie from the tray that had, literally, magically appeared in the older woman's hands. Sara was surprised that she had so blatantly used her magic in front of them. She quickly walked back down the steps, making some excuse about getting another picture of the sweet peas, as to why she was walking around the side of the house. When she opened the gate around the corner, Ava, Nora, and Mick were waiting for her.
"What did you find?" Sara asked as Ava moved to her side. Ava was never one for public affection, but nonetheless she wrapped her arm around Sara's waist. It was a bit possessive and protective, but Sara found comforting in it and let herself lean into Ava.
"Not much," Nora said, shrugging. "The rest of the neighborhood appears to be pretty quiet. We can't see any reason as to why David would stay if he isn't being held captive like Charlie believes."
"You think he's here willingly?" Sara asked.
"It appears so," Ava said.
"The woods out back lead to an open area where we can park and approach from the north," Mick said.
"Sounds good, we'll regroup and take a vantage point from there to watch over the garden and keep an eye on David. We'll see what happens tonight and then go from there."
"Why can't we just take it right now?" Mick asked, peeking around the corner and staring up at the statue. "It'd be a hell of a lot easier than taking someone that wiggles."
"We need to wait until Joan is asleep. We can't risk her finding out about our plan to stop her before we get the chance to do so," Ava explained.
Mick gave a shrug and nodded. Sara handed them the camera and recorders, then walked around the front and climbed up the porch to open the front door. She could already feel the perfume invading her nostrils, and just the thought of going back inside made her stomach churn.
"Sara wait," Ava said.
"Are you going to be okay going back in there?" Nora asked. She and Ava stood on the front porch steps behind Sara, with equal looks of worry.
"Yes, I'll be fine," Sara said in a firm tone, a little annoyed that none of them thought she could handle herself. If something happened, she knew she could take care of herself, even if she was nauseous at the thought of the Avon perfume. Sara pushed forward, determined to not let Ava and Nora's worry determine her actions.
Sara carefully opened the screen door and held her breath as she pushed open the front door. For a moment everything was fine, and she could handle her nausea. Sara breathed a sigh of relief as she stepped on to the plush yellow carpets, but she made the mistake of taking a deep breath in. The smell of the perfume assaulted her senses, making her gag.
Sara raced out of the house, letting the screen door slam behind her as she leaned over the side of the porch, vomiting into the Rhododendrons. Sara sighed and closed her eyes, more embarrassed than anything, leaning her forehead against her forearm on the railing.
Ava had rushed to her side the moment Sara had started running away from the house and held back her hair, quickly tying it up into a messy bun.
"There, there," Nora said, awkwardly patting her back.
Sara heard the sound of running water and looked up just enough to see Rory washing away her mess with the garden hose.
"Thank you," she whispered.
Rory just grunted and Ava and Nora continued to pat her back until her stomach settled and she felt like she could stand up straight again.
Sara looked over at them and her expression must have conveyed her nausea and sudden exhaustion, as Nora said. "I'll go get the others and meet you back on the Waverider."
"Let's go lie down," Ava said, guiding her away from the railing.
"Come on Boss," Mick said, leading them down the steps of the porch.
After a quick jump to several hours later, they all approach the house on foot.
"Okay, is everybody clear on the plan?" Sara asked, looking at the garden through her binoculars.
The sun was setting low on the horizon as it's golden rays touched the rooftops. Ava and Sara were several meters away, hidden deep in the forest. Charlie, Mick, and Nora were directly behind the fence, in the woods behind the garden, while Ray and Zari on Mithra flew overhead on Mithra, staking out the area.
Ava nodding to her while the comms came alive with Ray and Nora's response.
"Clear," Ray said.
"Crystal," Nora added.
The rest of the Legends sounded off with their agreement, but there was a moment of silence as Sara waited for the last member of her crew to respond.
"Charlie?" Sara asked. Charlie had an emotional investment in this one, but Sara didn't want them doing anything rash.
"Yeah," Charlie finally said with a hint of anxiety in their voice.
Sara adjusted her comm so that only Charlie could hear her.
"It's going to be okay," Sara assured them. "But if it goes awry, you have my permission to grab David and go straight back to the Waverider."
"When have I ever done anything straight?" Charlie asked, turning around and giving Sara a wink that she caught through her binoculars.
The sun set below the horizon, taking its golden rays with it, and they waited to see if David would come to life. Before the last drop of sunlight disappeared, letting the night take its place, Joan appeared on the porch. They all watched as she cast a spell that grew into a shield that encaptured the whole garden, appearing to set itself on top of the fence.
She went inside as the night took its place and sure enough they watched as David's hard form grew soft. It was like watching a sponge grow and change in water. However he didn't move from his perch, he simply sat down and let his feet dangle in the water. Even from her position and using the binoculars, Sara could see him let out a heavy sigh.
Everyone quieted down as they waited for the old lady to head to bed. She was parked in her recliner, watching late night TV. The blue glow cast a shadow around the living room, while the string of lights from the trees and the lamps around the fountain illuminated the garden, turning on one by one.
They didn't have to wait long till she set her knitting aside. Before she headed up the stairs, she walked out to the porch and stared at the Garden, looking from side to side. She left a tray of food on the table and, satisfied everything was in place, she closed the door and turned off the indoor lights.
They continued to wait until they watched her bedroom light go out. Nora cast her purple magic over the house and the neighbors, sending Joan and the rest of the neighborhood into a deep sleep. It was supposed to be a stealth mission, with an easy in and out. Although, Sara suspected that like many of their missions, it wouldn't go quite as planned.
"It's all clear," Nora whispered through the comms.
Sara gave the signal and Charlie, Nora, and Ray ran towards the garden wall. Rory met up with Zari and Mithra as they landed in the woods just outside the backyard as Ava and Sara moved forward.
No sooner had they all converge at the side of the fence, when Charlie vaulted themselves over the wall. Despite everyone's protests, there was no stopping them. The jump should have propelled them over, but instead, they smacked themselves against the invisible force. Charlie was stuck to the top of the wall like a fly smashed against a window.
"What the bloody hell?" They said, trying and failing to wiggle out. "Get me down from here."
"Well, what did you think would happen?" Sara snipped at them.
"Charlie?" A new voice called out to them. The Legends all looked over to see that David had hopped down from the fountain and ran across the garden to them. "Is that really you?"
"David," Charlie said, smiling down at him.
"I thought no one would come for me," he proclaimed. "I have been stuck here for years. Listening to that old bat go on and on about her prized garden."
"Don't worry," Charlie said. "We're here to get you out."
"Thank you," he said.
"There must be a way to take down the barrier," Ava said, as she glanced at it from their side.
Ray and Mick pulled Charlie off and helped them down as Nora began a spell. Her hand clouded as her magic floated around her. Soon the barrier was illuminated like a soft blue force field.
"It's going to take a lot of energy to bring it down," Nora said. "You can attack it, like a barrier or piece of glass, it will break with the right amount of force."
Sara whipped out her twin batons twirling them around in her hands, "Then let's get cracking!"
Ava put her head in her hands and the rest of her crew moaned at her pun.
"Hey, that one was good!" Sara said.
Everyone attacked the wall. Mick fired his Heat Gun across the top, and Mithra added their flames to the fire as Zari used the force of her winds to blow the flames onto one spot. Ray flew up in his atom suit, blasting the wall alongside Nora as she pushed an energy beam into the center. Sara screamed as loud as she could, using her canary cry, while Ava shot the wall, and Charlie hit it with as much force as they could muster.
Soon enough there were clear dents and cracks in the barrier, spreading like spider webs across the force field. Nora gave one last push and the whole thing cracked, splitting down the center and evaporating around them.
Sara held up her hand stalling their actions, and they all grew quiet. The sound of them breaking the forcefield apart could have woken anyone up, and she wanted to be sure they wouldn't get caught before moving forward.
Charlie ignored her order and leaped forward over the wall with ease, David catching them. His hands on their waist, he brought them in for a hug and spun them around. Zari's eyes widened, and she quickly flew over the wall. Nora picked up Sara, flying them over the fence as Ray followed with Ava and Mick climbed up and over, the last of them to set foot in the garden.
"Oh thank you, thank you," David said, finally setting Charlie down.
"Of course, I'd do anything for you," Charlie said, looking up at David with a sparkling eye.
Zari was at their side in a second, securing her place next to Charlie by wrapping an arm around their waist. Charlie leaned into their girlfriend and placed a hand on her chest.
"David this is my girlfriend, Zari, and these are my friends, Ray, Nora, Mick, Ava, and Sara."
"It is a pleasure to meet you all," he said, giving them a curtsy. "But perhaps pleasantries can be saved for when we have left this enchanted place."
Just as he spoke, the sky darkened above them. All the light from the trees and lamps flickered out as low hanging clouds descended upon them. The ground rumbled as a figure stepped out onto the deck.
"And where do you think you're going?" Joan Watkins said. Gone was the sweet old lady who had offered them scones and lemonade. In her place was a gray and grouchy old woman who seemed to tower above them, in strength and in wills.
"Far away from you, you old bat," Charlie sneered.
"How dare you," she screamed. "I have shown you nothing but kindness since the moment I rescued you from that nightmare."
"You did not rescue me," David insisted, standing tall in front of them. "You took me by force and have imprisoned me here."
"I gave you everything you could have wanted, and this is how you repay me? I have given you a beautiful sanctuary and you dare tarnish it. I have asked you to do one thing, and you have refused."
"I didn't know that the deal to live in your garden included giving you my life and letting you use me to destroy the world."
Sara watched the argument take place and pressed a finger to her comms. "Okay, Charlie, and I will get David to the Waverider while the rest of you stay here and subdue her. Gideon, I need you to fire up the engines and be ready for us the moment we step on board."
"Right away captain," Gideon replied in her ear.
The rest of the Legends nodded, but Rory, Ava, and Nora gave her a wary look, along with the light being blocked out by the dark blanket of clouds that surrounded them. A strong wind had picked up, blowing their hair and clothes up. The wind whipped right through them, chilling them to the bone.
"Go," Sara yelled, not knowing how soon this could escalate; she wanted to move and get everyone out of there as soon as possible. Ava hesitated, looking like she wanted to follow Sara, but nodded and charged Joan with the others.
Charlie and Sara dragged David away as Mick and Nora stepped up to the witch.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Joan let out a blast that was easily blocked by Nora. The two met against each other in a struggle as Ray and Zari, on Mithra, flew off on Mithra , blasting her from behind. Sara, Charlie, and David quickly headed for the fence. David broke through, and Charlie and Sara quickly followed him out. Sara brought up the rear as Charlie led them to the forest with David between them, not looking back as they rushed towards the Waverider.
Suddenly Joan was in front of them, her face the picture of rage. Sara could see actual fire in her eyes. She pushed her hands out, sending a blast of energy that pushed them all aside.
Sara got up quickly as Charlie and David took the brunt of it, staying down. She let out a cry and Joan crumpled over as she covered her ears. She had fought a lot of magical people over the past few years and she could hold her own, even without her cry. However, Sara didn't want to risk it, instead choosing to hold her down with her cry until one of the others could reach them.
Sara grounded herself and prepared to let out another cry, but Joan caught her breath, forcing Sara's mouth closed. Then, she looked at Sara like she was seeing her for the first time.
"You have a second life inside of you."
Sara froze, covering her stomach with her hands, fearful for her baby's safety. She looked into the eyes of this woman, but the fire had been put out and all Sara saw was want and grief.
That all faded in an instant as reality came back to them. Sara heard Mithra roar above them as Zari swooped towards them. Sara looked back to see Rory, Ava, and Nora a dozen paces behind them. She looked back at Joan to see the shift in her emotions. Gone was the mercy she had for Sara and Sara's eyes widened as she saw the power Joan summoned. Before she could turn and run, that power shot out past Sara to the others, who were swept out of its path by Ray.
The force of it knocked Sara down and she hit the ground hard. The air was forced from her lungs and she laid there gasping for air. Sara closed her eyes and her hand flew to her stomach, her baby. She took a deep breath and assessed herself, she was fine. Joan had pushed her aside in favor of hitting Nora, her equal foe.
She sat up and looked around. Zari had dismounted, Mithra looked injured, but they both ran ahead of her. She saw Zari grab Charlie and push them forward, but David was nowhere to be found. Zari looked back, and Sara nodded at her to continue.
Sara looked back to see that Joan had a hold on David and was dragging him back. Ray, Rory, and Nora were attacking her, with little effect. Sara got up and followed them towards the Waverider, catching up to them inside the cargo bay. Sara saw Zari and Charlie inside, seated on the storage boxes with Mithra resting her head on the door. Before she could check them over, they heard Charlie scream, not in fear, but in pain.
Zari got up and ran past her; Mithra tried to follow, but Zari gave her an order to stay. The full sized dragon collapsed, leaning their head upon the cargo bay door. Sara watched as Joan dragged David behind while creating a bubble around them that Ray, Nora, and Mick raged on. Outside, Sara saw Charlie's phasing falter as Charlie blinked into view from behind the mask of David they had assumed.
Sara looked back to see David seated on one of the cargo boxes. He was dressed in Charlie's clothes, a leather jacket, with her hairpiece and red plaid pants.
Suddenly Ava was standing in front of her, grabbing ahold of her shoulders and looking her over.
"Are you alright? Did she hurt you? Is the baby okay?" Ava frantically asked while she scanned over Sara.
"We're fine, I promise."
Ava breathed a sigh of relief and she pulled Sara in for a hug, and for a moment Sara melted in her arms. She forgot about the battle raging outside and closed her eyes, relishing in the comfort of Ava's arms. Charlie's second scream broke them apart as Sara stepped away from her, but Ava held her back with an arm around her waist.
"We're too far away I can't see what was going on," Sara said, panic setting back in. "Gideon, pull up the cameras of the area."
The TV screen across the room quickly displayed one of the external cameras, and they could see that Joan had flown up onto the fountain and was holding Charlie down. They continued to scream as she fused their feet in place.
"Charlie," Ava whispered.
Sara and Ava exchanged a look and Ava nodded then took off, leaving Sara alone, but safe, on the Waverider.
"Gideon, get us in the air over them."
"Right away Captain," she replied and Sara felt the ship lift off underneath her.
"Charlie, she took my place. She's still out there, that monster is hurting her," David said, getting up and trying to walk out.
Sara stepped in front of him and placed her hands on his shoulders. "Charlie knew what they were doing and everyone else is looking out for them."
"She's a seedling, Joan. Her magic is attached to her garden. If you kill the garden you kill the witch," David said.
Sara nodded and went to the screen, pulling up coverage of the garden. The Legends were trying in vain to break the shield Joan had around herself and Charlie, attacking it from all sides.
As soon as Ava left Sara's side, she bolted for the rest of the Legends as they fought the witch and tried to free Charlie. All of her worry for Sara had faded, but was replaced with worry for her family. She pushed her legs to run faster, thanking herself for getting up early and running each morning as she was soon upon them.
"Guys," Sara's voice filled her ear as she broadcast across the comms. "David said that Joan's power is connected to her garden. You need to destroy it."
"Yeah, now you're talking," Mick said, she watched as he turned his Heat Gun to the plants surrounding him and set them aflame.
"Zari, follow his lead and burn that side of the garden," Ava said as she ran towards them and stopped next to Nora.
Ray and Zari soon joined in, Zari's wind sent the flames higher and flooded the garden. Ray kept it from getting out of hand or spreading to the neighbor's homes.
Ava watched as Joan's power faded and the shield around her fell away. She screamed in pain and tried to no avail to stop their flames, but the fire raged on.
"Nora, create a path so that I can get to Charlie," Ava said.
Nora nodded and cleared a path through the flames that left just the black and burnt plants, leading straight to the fountain where Charlie was still frozen in place. Joan jumped down to try to stop the flames that surrounded her and Nora took her chance.
Ava quickly climbed up and assessed where Charlie was stuck in the stone.
"Hold still," Ava yelled over the flames, she put one arm around Charlie supporting them and pulled out her blaster.
"Just shoot! I'll grow a new pair of feet," Charlie said, burying their face in the crook of Ava's arm.
Despite their permission, Ava tried to aim at the stone. She took a moment and focused on the shot before pulling the trigger. The blast broke the fountain in half and they both fell back into the water. Charlie quickly changed their feet, and they both jumped out of the water and ran.
Nora turned and summoned one last blast, hitting Joan and she turning her to stone. Zari choked the flames and the fire died, leaving only darkness until one by one the street lamps turned on and illuminated the area.
Like the breaking of a spell, the beauty of the garden had faded away and ashes settled around them. The plants were black and dried up, as nothing had survived the fire. The house, which had been swallowed up by the fire, had the roof caved in. The summer night and the heat it brought with it descended as the crickets and frogs resumed their song, but an eerie feeling fell across the yard.
The Waverider landed in front of them and they all boarded, covered in soot but unhurt. Mick was smiling like it was the best day of his life, and Ava supposed that it was. They converged in the Med Bay with Sara standing next to David in one of the chairs.
"Good work out there guys," Sara said, smiling as they all filtered in.
"Hey," Mona said, popping her head in before rounding the corner, followed by Nate and Behrad. "I hitched a ride with these two because I missed you guys and it looks like I missed a mission. What happened?"
Ray and Nora filled her in, and Zari asked Behrad and Nate how dinner went, but Ava ignored them and walked over to Sara. She tried to casually grab Sara's hand, seeking her out, but of course, Sara saw right through her. Sara chuckled, going up on her toes and catching Ava's face with her hands and kissing her. Ava melted, how could she not? She let her worries, anxieties and all the stress from the past events fade away as she took in Sara's warm lips.
"How are you doing?" Ava asked when they parted, as the Legends all whistled.
"Both mother and baby are doing fine," Gideon said.
"Gideon!" Sara chastised.
There was a pregnant pause as Ava and Sara froze, watching everyone process the information. Everyone's face went through a different process, until they all started talking at once. Ray, Zari, and Behrad asked questions about the pregnancy, Mona squealed, and Nate and Charlie asked 'what the hell was going on?'
Sara chuckled and Ava wrapped her arm around her. She placed her other hand on Sara's stomach, finally free to do so in front of the others.
They let them carry on for another second before Sara put two fingers in her mouth and let out a quick whistle. They all quieted down, as they knew none of their questions would be answered if they didn't.
"Yes, I'm pregnant. Ava and I are having a baby," Sara said, leaning into Ava.
"Don't ask how," Ava added, seeing the question on both Charlie and Nate's open mouths.
They both sighed, but Ray gave them a disgruntled look.
"When are you due? How far along are you? Well, I guess that's kinda the same question, this is very exciting. I'm excited, for you of course," Ray blurted out all at once. He rolled from his heels to his toes as Nora wrapped an arm around him and placed her hand on his chest.
"I'm 12 weeks," Sara said, as she and Ava smiled at his excitement.
Everyone paused to try and figure it out; Charlie counted on their fingers and Behrad's mouth moved as he did the math under his breath.
"She's four months along and due August 20th," Nora said.
"Oh," Mona said. "Wait how do you know the exact date?"
Suddenly all eyes were on Nora, but it was Mick who spoke up.
"Blondie told me she was pregnant a few weeks ago, and Princess knew from the start."
"You knew when they conceived?" Zari asked, both in disbelief and disgust.
Charlie laughed and David hid his chuckle, while Ray's eyes went wide as he stared at her.
"No, I could sense the baby's energy inside of Sara when she was about five weeks," Nora explained.
"You know that actually explains a lot," Behrad said. "The naps, the missed meals, and team building stuff."
"The vomit in the kitchen sink," Ray said accusingly towards her.
"That wasn't me!" Sara insisted having already been through Ray's interrogation a few days ago when he had found puke at the bottom of the sink under a pile of dishes.
She looked over at the Legends, zeroing in on Charlie who was looking down and nudging at the chip in David's foot.
Ray looked at them accusingly, but dropped it thankfully.
"Come on. Let's go back to the galley," Ava said, rubbing Sara's arm. "None of us have eaten and I'm sure we could just warm up dinner and continue this conversation there."
"Ava?" Sara whispered, looked up at her. "Can we go back to my room?"
Ava gave her a soft and knowing smile; dinner in bed had become a habit Ava was reluctant to do, but Sara knew she'd never refuse. "Go lay down and I'll bring you a plate."
Charlie coughed, "Whipped."
"We can continue this in the morning," Sara said, ignoring them.
"What about David?" Zari asked.
"I'd like to go home," He said sitting up. "I have family in Scotland and I'd like to see them again."
Sara nodded. "We'll look for your family and try and take you home tomorrow."
Ray looked around at all the other Legends and sensing that their little meeting was coming to a close said. "Well, I think we're all in need of a group hug!"
"Ugh," Mick shouted, not entirely fond of this certain display of affection, but willing to partake nonetheless.
Ray had stretched out his arms and brought in Nora and Nate who were standing next to him. This led to a chain effect of all the Legends scrunching in together with their arms around each other.
"No squishing." Ava insisted, as all the Legend settled around her and Sara in a loving embrace.
"No promises," Mona said, as she wiggled her way to Ava's other side.
Ava leaned down and kissed Sara's forehead as the others around them held her tight, and she didn't mind taking the force of their crushing hugs. After a minute, everyone reluctantly parted, slowly untangling themselves from the mess of arms and unrestricted affection.
"Come on, I'll show you around," Charlie said, pulling David out of the room, with Zari hot on their heels.
Slowly, the Legends all said their goodnights and goodbyes, filtering out of the Med Bay and down the hall towards their cabins. Ava still had her arm around Sara as they walked down the hall. Sara leaned into her side and snuggled up to Ava's warm, tall frame. They stopped in front of the door to their cabin and Sara put her other arm around Ava's waist, pulling on her hips, asking Ava to face her.
"Why don't we go back to our house?" Sara asked, in a soft voice.
"Are you sure?" Ava asked, her eyebrows knitting together as she looked down at Sara. "We can stay here tonight. I don't mind."
"I want to go home with you," Sara said, rubbing Ava's hips and looking up at her.
Ava smiled, leaned down, and pasted her lips to Sara's, moaning into their soft kiss before pulling away, but leaning their foreheads together.
"Then let's go home," Ava said, opening a portal for them to step through.
"We have got to talk about this!" Zari said, through a mouth full of food. They were all seated around the table digging into the food, but hadn't started talking yet.
"What's there to talk about?" Mick asked, as he also shoved his face full of the leftover dinner.
"Hello," Zari said, waving her fork around. "What are we going to do when Sara goes on maternity leave?"
Ray shrugged. "It's not like Sara's ever left us alone. She's left with Ava and been injured before. I've been intermediate captain a dozen times."
"Yeah, we'll do fine," Charlie said.
"I don't know," Nora said from where she sat next to Ray at the table. "Our success rate when Sara isn't here is usually only like 60%."
"Exactly! If we're going to do this without her around to captain us, then we need to do better," Zari proclaimed. They all looked over at her as Zari stood up and paced around the room. "We need to up our wins and work better as a team."
They all looked at each other with skeptical looks, before Mona jumped up, striding to stand next to her. "Zari's right."
"She is?" Behrad asked, only to have his head slapped by Charlie.
"Yes, I am. Now, Ray, I need you to make up a training schedule. Nate, I want you to identify our biggest threats, and Nora, I want you to come up with ways to tackle them. The rest of us are going to stick to Ray's schedule and train hard."
"Yeah!" Charlie yelled, jumping up. The rest of the Legends echoed their enthusiastic cry.
"I'll make up the schedule now!" Ray said, pulling out a pad and pen.
Zari and Mona returned to their seats and to their plates of food. She was sure they could do this on their own, a far feat from what she thought was possible when she first met her brother's idiot friends. They were screw ups back then, and to be honest, they still were.
Sure they weren't always the best team on the block, but they got it done and made time better. Their big hearts made up for the one brain cell they all shared. They made the world slightly better, but most importantly, they kept time safe, and she would prove that they could do this without adult supervision. They had done it before and they'd do it again, she'd make sure of it.