Mona looked nervously around her glass surroundings. She didn't usually mix well with tight spaces. The brig wasn't the tiniest place she'd ever been in, but she still couldn't help feeling a little claustrophobic. "Mr. Constantine," she said softly, "does the room seem like it's getting smaller to you?"

John patted her on the shoulder. "No, sweetheart. It's just your imagination."

"I can't believe they got out," she said, shaking her head disappointedly. "We were doing so well. We literally had all of them inside, and now they're all loose. Well…all except him." She looked down at the sleeping pirate in the back of the brig, still under John's hypnosis.

"Easy, love," John said, leaning back against the clear front wall. "Sara's getting us out of here. Once she does, we'll show those pirates what happens when they mess with us."

As if on cue, Sara burst through the door, entering the outer section of the room surrounding the brig. "You'd better have a good story for how this happened," she said, looking pointedly at John.

"Ah! Sara! Perfect timing," he replied, spinning around to face her.

A second later, someone else ran into the room. A tall man with short gray hair, dark clothes, and a cold gun. He kept his weapon pointed at the door until it closed, then turned around to face Sara. "Didn't see anyone following us," he told her. "We should be safe for now."

Mona's face lit up as she recognized him. She grabbed Constantine's arm excitedly, "Mr. Constantine, look!" she exclaimed. "It's Leonard Snart! He's okay!"

Leonard gave her a quick wave with the hand not currently holding the cold gun. "Always pleased to meet a fan," he drawled. "And you two are…?"

"John Constantine," John said, stepping closer to the glass, "master of the dark arts. I'd shake hands but," he knocked his knuckles twice against the clear barrier in front of him, "someone taught Dr. Palmer how to make this place contain a master magician."

Mona joined John closer to the glass wall. "My name's Mona," she said. "Mona Wu." Sara placed her hand over the key pad. It glowed green and the door slid open. Mona quickly rushed out of the small space and approached Leonard. He took a step back, keeping himself an arm's length away from her. Mona didn't seem to notice. "I'm so glad you're okay, Mr. Snart!" she gushed. "I mean, Dr. Snow said you were stable, but it was all so insane what we were doing. I was still worried you wouldn't…"

"Mona's our newbie," John interrupted as he strolled casually out of the brig, "which means she still gets easily excited when we do things."

Mona huffed. "I'm not that much of a newbie. I've been around almost as long as Charlie. Plus, Nora's the newest Legend to officially join, remember?"

"Okay, so you and Nora are both newbies, then," John allowed. "But in fairness, we did already know Nora before we met you. And Charlie's still been on the ship a bit longer." John turned to Leonard, who looked completely lost. "You don't know who we're talking about at all, do you?"

"That would be a no," Leonard replied. There definitely hadn't been a Nora, Charlie, John, or Mona on the team the last time he'd been on the Waverider. Sounds like the Legends' membership changed a lot in the past three years, he thought. But why?

"We can worry about introductions later," Sara said, taking control of the conversation. "John, you said Mick had a plan to ambush the time pirates. Care to fill me in?"

"Of course, love," John said. Leonard bristled at the sound of the strange British man referring to Sara as "love." The master of the dark arts continued to explain, "Mick's luring the pirates to the bridge. The S.T.A.R. Labs crew are all going to pop in with one of those breach openers and block one side's exit. Ray and the engine room team are going to block the other side and shut them in."

"So, Mick's plan is to get them cornered," Sara summarized, "and force them to surrender."

Leonard crossed his arms and leaned in toward her. "No offense to Mick, but I don't remember him being much for plans. Did that change while I was gone?"

"Hardly," Sara replied, laughing a little. "I think he's just a bit more focused today than usual."

Constantine nodded. "That's right. Something about wanting to get those pirates out of here before his partner wakes up. Well," he held a hand out, gesturing toward Leonard, "so much for that part of the plan, eh?"

"Yeah," Sara said with a shrug, "but you know what they say about the best laid plans."

She glanced sideways at Leonard. He silently returned her look, understanding some unspoken reference. John and Mona watched the two of them, feeling a bit outside the circle.

"Um, is there an inside joke here?" Mona asked after a moment of awkward silence.

"Something like that," Sara answered, returning her attention to the whole group. "Mick's plan isn't half bad, but he's going to need some help."

"And the team," Mona added, "is going to need their captain."

"Agreed," John nodded.

Leonard noted how intently the two new Legends were looking at Sara and connected the dots. "Wait," he said, holding up a hand to pause the conversation. "Hold on just a minute." He took a step closer to the group and turned to Sara. "Captain?"

Sara grinned and crossed her arms. "Yeah. Got a problem with that, Leonard?"

"No," he immediately answered. "Not at all." He hadn't been expecting that piece of news, but it wasn't shocking to him. If anyone's capable of leading a team of time traveling misfits like the Legends, he thought, it would be Sara. The corner of his mouth curved up into a slight smile. "It fits."

Sara smiled a little and looked down, trying to avoid eye contact. She had a feeling he had the same admiring look in his eyes as he'd had on their first mission when she'd given her speech convincing the rest of the Legends to stay in spite of Rip's dishonesty. She wasn't ready for him to look at her like that again. She looked up at Constantine and Mona, still not quite facing Leonard. "I counted seven pirates when they attacked us in the med bay," she said. "Is that all of them, or are there more?"

Mona pointed at the sleeping pirate in the brig. "He makes eight."

"Got him under hypnosis," Constantine told Sara. "Out like a light. No need to worry about him, love."

Leonard narrowed his eyes, regarding John with suspicion. Why does he keep calling her that? he wondered. He took a small step closer to Sara's side.

"So, seven, then," Sara said, thinking. "Hm…Mick's plan will definitely outnumber them, but they'll probably try to force a time jump if they're cornered in the bridge."

"Which sounds like our cue," Leonard said. Constantine and Mona turned their heads toward him, surprised to hear him jumping in. "What?" he said, reacting to their expressions. "It's the obvious move."

"Snart's right," Sara agreed immediately. "The other two groups are blocking the exits."

"And Mick is the bait," Leonard added without missing a beat.

"Which makes guarding the controls and taking down the captain the one job left," Sara said.

"And we're the last crew left to do it."

"So, you guys will run for the controls."

"While Sara goes for the captain."

"Exactly," Sara nodded, concluding their rapid-fire statements.

Mona pointed at them, waving her finger between Sara and Leonard. "Whoa, that was super in sync. Did you guys rehearse that, or…?"

"No, Mona, and that's not important now," Sara said, dismissing her observation. "We need to get to the bridge before the pirates do. Let's go."

Constantine and Mona obediently headed toward the door. Sara stepped in front of Leonard, preventing him from following them. "Are you sure you're okay?" she asked, her eyes searching his face for any sign of pain or fatigue. "I'm not sending you out there if you're not."

"I'm sure," Leonard replied. "Don't worry about me."

"Really?" she pressed further. "I mean, you were stuck in the timeline for three years and got pulled out less than an hour ago. That doesn't sound like something you can just walk off."

He shrugged. "Guess things aren't always what you'd expect. Not that I don't appreciate your concern," he added teasingly. "It really is adorable."

Sara crossed her arms. "It's not adorable. It's my responsibility as captain. Making sure everyone stays safe is my job. You were the first Legend we really lost. You were dead, Leonard. I can't…we can't lose you twice, okay?"

If Leonard noticed the slight betrayal of emotion in her voice, his face didn't show it. "Then I suppose I'll have to make sure I don't get lost," he said, lifting his cold gun into firing position. He nodded toward the door. "After you…Captain."

She wanted to argue more, but knew he'd made up his mind. The two of them joined Constantine and Mona, exiting the brig and making their way toward Mick's ambush.


Realizing that the captain of the ship had gotten away, the last of the pirates ran toward the bridge. "Let's take it and go!" one of them shouted. "The captain's gone! We should time jump out of here before Hunter and his friends are onto us!" The others loudly voiced their agreement.

"Like I said," Mick's voice said from behind them, "fat chance!"

The pirates turned around to see Mick standing alone in the entrance to the parlor, his weapon drawn and pointed at them. The leader of the crew laughed. "Ha! Think you can take us alone?"

Mick grinned, a wild gleam in his eye. "Well, they do say I'm the dumb one."

The pirates prepared to charge at him, but they froze when they saw a strange blue portal open up to Mick's right. Out of the portal stepped the Flash, Nora Darhk, Joe West, Iris West-Allen, and Killer Frost. Barry waved a little blue triangle-shaped device at the pirates as the portal closed behind the group. "These things really do come in handy," he smiled.

The group stood together, fully blocking the exit from the bridge. Iris pointed her blaster at the time pirate leader. "I wouldn't move if I were you," she warned.

"She means business," Joe added, pointing his own gun at the pirate crew, "and so do the rest of us. If I were you, I'd sit your time butts down and surrender."

"And I wouldn't count on your buddies for backup either," Nora said. "They're getting really comfortable down in the pipeline."

The pirates looked toward the opposite end of the bridge. There was another way out through the other side. They weren't cornered yet.

Just then, Ray, Nate, Zari, Charlie, Wally, and Cisco arrived, blocking the second exit. Ray was still suited up as the A.T.O.M and Charlie held the blaster she'd been given by Barry. Cisco stood on the far side of the group, holding one of Ray's shrink rays in his hand and aiming it at the leader. Zari leaned against Nate's steel frame, still wincing from the blaster wound. She held up her totem threateningly. "Consider yourselves trapped," she said.

"And outnumbered," Wally added.

The time pirates' leader stepped forward, staring down Mick. "Not by much. I think we can still take this ship. Your captain isn't even here to fight! What did she do? Run away like a coward?"

"Ha!" Sara taunted, running into the room. She pushed her way past Cisco and pointed her staff at the leader. "You wish."

John, Mona, and Leonard arrived seconds after her. They stopped just behind the other Legends, who were too focused on the scene before them to look back and notice the new arrivals. "Stay here," John whispered to Leonard. "Watch Mona while I go for the controls."

"What?" Leonard reacted. "I don't…"

"He doesn't need to watch me!" Mona hissed.

John ignored them and pushed his way into the center of the room and sprinted to the captain's chair. Two of the pirates turned toward him, preparing to attack. He muttered several magic words and spread his hands outward, creating a glowing ring of strange symbols in the air. "I wouldn't try getting past a magic forcefield," he warned. "It won't go well. For you, at least."

Leonard raised his eyebrows. So that's what "master of the dark arts" means, he thought. That's…interesting.

Sara swept her staff in a circle and knocked the pirate leader to his knees. Before he could get up, she spun her weapon and placed one end of it against his chest. "This is my ship," she declared, "and my crew. You've already lost. Call your men off now and you'll make things a lot easier for everyone."

Leonard couldn't help smiling as he watched her take charge. He'd always liked this side of her. He'd seen it before when she'd led the way to save the rest of the Legends from the Time Masters. Yes, being the captain of the team really did fit her.

The pirates looked frantically around them in every direction. At the left exit, five heroes stood ready to fight them. At the right exit, six more stood, also prepared to fight. At the front of the ship, a warlock in a loose tie and trench coat was blocking access to the ship's controls with magic that they didn't dare risk approaching. In the center of the room, their captain was clearly in a vulnerable position and beginning to consider the possibility of surrender. Behind them, the parlor, which had relatively little strategic value, was guarded by one rough-looking man with a heat gun.

In a panic, one pirate decided he had to do something, anything, to break the tension. He noticed that the attention of the room was on Sara and the pirate leader, and that Mick stood alone. Taking his chance, he drew his blaster in a moment, aiming for Mick…

Cisco felt a rush of cold air beside him. The blaster turned to solid ice. The time pirate cried out in shock as he felt the sudden cold and dropped it, shattering it into pieces.

Barry turned to Killer Frost, who held up her hands and shrugged. "Wasn't me."

In the corner of his eye, Cisco recognized a familiar shape. He turned to see Leonard Snart standing in the space between him and the wall, his cold gun still glowing blue from the shot. Cisco gasped, "No. Freaking. Way."

Leonard stepped out of the group and into the center of the room, stopping beside Sara, the cold gun still drawn in front of him. Mick's jaw dropped. The other heroes stared at him, eyes wide. Leonard kept his weapon aimed at the pirate who had attacked Mick but spoke to the leader. "You should probably listen to her," he growled.

This was the last straw. After only a few more moments of deliberation, the time pirate captain gave his crew the order to drop their weapons. As soon as they did, Barry and Wally speedily moved each of them back into the brig. When they finished, they returned to the bridge, where a stunned silence awaited them as Team Flash and the Legends stared at Leonard Snart, back from the dead.

"What's the matter with you?" Snart said, his voice dripping with sarcasm, as he looked around at the mostly unfamiliar faces surrounding him. "You guys look like you've seen a ghost."

Ray laughed. "Ha! Classic Snart."

Mick holstered his heat gun, walked down the steps from the parlor to the bridge, and stared silently at Snart, unable to believe his eyes. He glanced at Sara. "You see him too, right?"

Sara nodded, smiling. "Yep. He's back."

Mick looked back at Leonard and walked the remaining distance to stand in front of him. "You…little…you idiot," he said, pointing his finger at Leonard's chest. "How many times do I have to save you, huh?"

"Pretty sure I saved you," Leonard pointed out.

Ray interjected, "Also, this was more of a group effort. Ow!" he exclaimed as Nate elbowed him into silence.

Mick glared at Ray, then continued to speak slowly as he struggled to find his words, "Yeah, well, don't…don't you…don't ever do anything that…that stupid again. You hear me, Snart? That was stupid! You're not supposed to be stupid." He stopped to breathe, then added more calmly, "You got yourself killed for three years, Snart. It's...it's too long." He sighed. "You're the best guy I ever knew, but pulling something like that? Stupid!"

Leonard smiled. He knew what his partner was trying to say. "Good to see you, too, Mick," he said.

Mick reached out his hand and placed it firmly on Leonard's shoulder. "Yeah," he replied, his voice choking up. "Glad you're back, partner."

After a moment, Mick let go of Leonard's shoulder. The rest of the heroes took that as a signal to let loose. They broke out of their positions from the ambush and swarmed forward, letting out various exclamations of joy.

"Snart!" Barry grinned. "You're okay! This is awesome!"

"That was brilliant!" Charlie exclaimed.

"Captain Cold is back, baby!" Cisco shouted, pumping his fist.

"I've honestly never been happier to see you, Snart," Joe said.

"Dude, I can't believe it worked!" Wally celebrated.

"Wasn't it mostly your idea?" Zari asked him.

"Well, yeah, but…"

Leonard tried to back away from the crowd before they could get too close but found himself trapped by the console in the middle of the bridge. Sara jumped in front of the group and held up her hands to stop them.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," she said, "give him a little space, guys."

The group stopped moving toward Snart and formed a semicircle facing him. Leonard crossed his arms and leaned back against the console. He recognized Ray, Mick, and Sara, plus Team Flash, of course, but he couldn't place any of the others faces looking at him. There were also several faces he'd expected to see who were missing.

Barry took a small step forward, still maintaining some amount of space from Snart. "Seriously," he said, "we're glad you're back, man."

Snart smirked. "Aw, Flash, you missed me," he drawled. "I'm so touched."

"We all did," Ray added.

Leonard looked toward him skeptically. "Yes, especially those of you here who have never met me. I'm sure they missed me the most."

Ray quickly tried to correct himself. "That's not what I…"

"What Ray means," Sara said, cutting off his explanation, "is we all worked together to bring you back because we're a team, and teammates don't leave each other behind. Even if they've never met each other before." She stepped back to stand against the console beside Leonard. "But what's important is that you're here now. Welcome back, Leonard."

Leonard glanced at the floor, then looked up at her warmly. "Thanks, Sara." He glanced down at his ragged clothes and asked, "I don't suppose Gideon can do something about…this?"

"Of course, Mr. Snart," Gideon's disembodied voice answered. "And, may I add, it is good to see you alive and on board again."

"Great," said Sara. "Nate, Nora, and John, you guys figure out where to send our time pirate prisoners and get them there. Ray and Zari, you two start looking at the damage from the fight and figure out how much time you'll need for repairs. While you're doing that, Mick and I will get Leonard fixed up. Barry, I'll leave your team to you. The rest of you can just hang tight. Everyone got it?"

Barry gave her a thumbs up. Various nods in the crowd indicated that the others agreed. Leonard leaned toward her. "You really are a natural at this whole captain thing, aren't you?"

She rolled her eyes, but her face still revealed a small, flattered smile. "Believe me, it takes effort," she answered him. Then, turning to the whole group, she continued, "Okay, Legends, let's go." The team obediently broke off into their groups, following their captain's orders.