The two burly armed minions grunted as they dragged away Jacobs lifeless corpse, causing dirt to stir up in the room. The one dropped his leg, pushing open a door in front of him before they both resumed on their way. After a few minutes, they arrived at another door, the second thumping at it with his boot. Silence descended on the hall before the sliding of locks and levers split the air and the door swung inward, the smell of decaying flesh and clotting blood wafting out into the hall. The young girl from the cells stood inside, pulling the door back as far as it would allow before the two minions went through. They shoved the girl out of the way, laughing as she stumbled back and fell over. With an audible thud, they chucked the body onto a table nearby, laughing more when the young girl struggled to stand up. Their laughter followed them out of the door, only pausing long enough to spit in the direction of the body. Struggling against its weight, the young girl pushed the door back shut again and began locking the mechanisms. She turned, wiping her hands on a dirty apron she wore around her neck, and began shuffling her way over to Jacobs corpse.
"Him must nota wanted you no more," she sighed clicking her tongue and looking over him.
She stared at his face, taking in the raw emotions burned into his face. The girl had seen many corpses in her short days, usually tending to the remains and making sure they were not found, but this corpse, this man, she found herself struggling with. Her fingers traced the broad lines of his shoulders, feeling the strength that still lay beneath them. So many scars, she thought to herself, touching her own marred flesh as she brushed his. Down his body she went, not with the practiced movements of her usual dismantling, but instead with a lighter touch in awe and sadness. She carefully lifted his hands, rigor mortis not setting in just yet, and slowly opened them. His fingers were long and strong, a few calluses starting to form. What deeds would these hands have accomplished? She asked herself, studying the lines of his palms. She gently laid his hands back at his sides, continuing down his body. Upon her descent, she paused at his feet, seeing the arching patterns of electrical burns. Her mind began to conjure imaginations of his screaming, how he must have writhed in agony. She recoiled, turning away from his corpse in hopes his hauntings would leave her. Unfortunately they did not. Whether or not she looked at the broken body, she could still hear his screams, feel his agony, smell the sickening scent of burning flesh.
With shuffling of her feet, she moved away from the body, coming to a small alcove with a wooden altar. She picked up a small weathered box with faded writing etched into it, pulling forth a match and striking it against the wall. A bright flash sparked the tip into flame, which she cupped in her small hands. She shuffled forwards, lighting a single yellow candle. The flame danced and played with the shadows cast against a carved wooden effigy presenting a group of faces; male and female alike. She closed her eyes, muttering in the same foreign language as the torturing male before she was interrupted by a thumping on the door. With a sigh of disgust, he shuffled to the door, heaving it open with great strain.
The same two minions pushed their way through, this time carrying Jacobs clothes and bow. With a grunt, they threw them in a pile, only to be stopped by the little girl before leaving.
"I can na do it," she declared, balling her fists up and standing her ground in front of them.
"Get out o da way chile!" the front most minion grunted, giving the girl a shove. With considerable effort, she managed to stay rooted to the spot.
"I won't!" she insisted, looking from the minions face to Jacobs body.
"Do ya job chile, or join the pieces." the man snarled, pushing the girl harder, this time sending her stumbling to the floor.
The men laughed, walking past the girl and pulling the door shut behind them.
"Salauds gluants!" she swore deeply, picking herself up carefully.
She shuffled back to her alter, kneeling back down carefully and beginning to pray again.
"Oh holy Loa," she muttered, closing her eyes. "Let de wicked be punished, the wrongs righted."
She felt a small breeze of air flutter around the room, continuing with her prayers. The candle danced and flickered wildly as her words began to flow faster, blurring the line between english and Haitian Creole. Something beside her tool bench moved, sending the rubber squeegee she used to mop up blood crashing down. A row of vials started to roll towards her and bumped against her leg. She opened her eyes, the breeze subsiding and the candles flame slowly resuming its normal pillar. Reaching down to pick up the vial, she noticed they formed a line directly towards where Jacobs body lay. A wicked smile crept across her face, grunting through it as she stood up. She began picking up the vials, clutching them in her little hands before laying them all down beside Jacobs head.
"sainte loa, protège-moi de la colère, protège-moi de la rétribution," she whispered uncorking the first vial.
She took a breath, forced Jacobs mouth open and began pouring the contents from each vial. One at a time, she uncorked a vial, dumped it and readied the next. Each addition slowly drained from his mouth, permeating his body. Once the final bottle was empty she waited and prayed. She knew the risks, but after years of being a slave under the Haitian had taken its toll. She would have her revenge and the Haitian would lose millions trying to reacquire his supply.
A thumping noise brought her back to focus, eyes fluttering open. The body began writing on the table, rocking back and forth and shaking. She scrambled away in fear.
What's happening inside that head? She asked herself in terror.
Light swirled around Jacob as he began to feel himself floating, feeling as if his entire body was at peace some how. The last thing he could recall was excruciating pain, the flow of electricity to his body and then nothing but warmth.
Jacob…..where are you? Called a soft feminine voice around him.
He opened his eyes, looking around him and squinting in the bright lights. His hands were free and with further inspection, completely whole. The clothes he wore were perfect, no holes or even a frey in the collar of his button up shirt. Confusion spread across his face as he looked down at his feet, wiggling his toes and finding everything too was whole.
Jacob….called the voice again, causing him to look up. A woman stood in front of him, glowing slightly.
Mom? He called back in disbelief, his voice sounding too perfect in pitch.
Laurel Lance, HIS Laurel stood before him, her visage slowly becoming clearer. She smiled, brushing her hand against his face. He froze in fear; he could actually feel her hand. Reaching up to make sure, he touched it lightly, finding it solid and warm.
Im here. She whispered, lightly brushing his hair.
Am i….? Are you…? He asked, trailing off and pressing his face into her touch.
She smiled sadly and nodded, bringing her opposite hand up to cradle his face. Tears began to form on his face, sliding down and dropping into nothingness.
I failed….he whispered, collapsing to his knees and burying his face against her stomach, arms falling helplessly to his side.
Shhh. You're home now. She whispered, brushing her fingers through his hair gently and starting to hum. Despite the comfort of her touch, he was overcome with misery; he knew he had truly failed. Tears began to flow freely from his eyes now.
I failed...he choked out. I failed you, i failed all of you.
A warm hand appeared on his shoulder, firm and strong. It gripped him and another pulled him to his feet. He turned, guided by them both and coming face to face with his Olliver.
Dad...he murmured. In an instant, Oliver strong arms were around him. Jacob crumbled, hugging him tightly back.
Heya Kiddo, Olliver whispered holding him for a second. It's good to see you again.
I failed the city...Jacob admitted, letting go as Oliver faced him again.
No, my boy. Oliver sighed. You made me proud, made us proud. You stood up for your family. You risked everything to try and save Sara.
And i failed… Jacob sighed. That man is going to kill her.
You don't know that. Came a third voice, making Jacob spin towards it.
Thea...he gasped, running towards her and picking her up. He squeezed her to him, limbs threatening to never let go. She squeezed him back just as hard as he spun her around. Slowly releasing his grip, he sat her down, gazing into her beautiful brown eyes before bending down slightly and kissing her deeply. She sighed into his kiss, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and entangling her fingers in his hair. Again and again their lips met in passionate embrace. They broke apart slightly, Thea resting her head against his chest. He nuzzled at her hair, breathing in the familiar scent of her and embracing the bliss of the moment. For what seemed like an eternity, they stood there, neither one wanting to let go. Oliver and Laurel stood by, locked in an embrace of their own and smiling happily at the couple.
Thea i...he started.
Its not your fault, she whispered, cutting him off. I don't blame you for any of it.
But I could have… he started again.
Nothing you could have done, would have saved us. She said firmly, pushing off of his chest with her hand and staring him directly in the eyes. Her piercing brown gaze made him smile.
What happened, happened. Oliver said, stepping over and putting a hand on Jacobs shoulder. And it would have happened no matter what.
You can't go blaming yourself for things you can't change, came Barry's voice as his visage appeared. It's a hard lesson, but one even i had to learn.
We're at peace now, came Iris's voice as she joined her husband's side.
One by one, each member of his family appeared around him. First Wally, with his confident and goofy grin, then Jessi, grasping Wally's hand and sticking her tongue out playfully at Jacob. More and more members appeared, Harrison Wells pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose and inclining his head with a smile at Jacob, then Roy Harper saluting with his fingers, then Helena her cocky smirk across her face, Sara and Nyssa hand in hand, Clark and Kara, Ted Kord with his wind swept hair and boisterous smile, Jason and Babs waving both hands in the air and laughing, Tula smiling, Malcolm stepping forward and hugging both Jacob and Thea in a warm embrace, everyone gazing at him proudly. Laurel stepped closer, resting her hand on his other shoulder.
You're home now, she repeated. We can be a family again.
They all nodded and murmured in agreement. Jacob smiled and nodded in agreement.
A family, he whispered, my family.
Thea smiled, pressing her face deeper into his chest as Jacob closed his eyes and rested against her. Laurel and Oliver began to dance behind them as Jacob heard Joe began to start singing. Thea and Jacob began to sway along with the music, all the couples joining in and dancing as well. Jacob lifted his head and looked around, seeing Jason and Babs laughing and dancing wildly. Wally and Jessi circled around, joined close and kissing each other happily. Roy and Tula were not as close but still they danced together, Tula smiling brightly and Roy holding her gently. Malcolm spun around, Helena trying to hide her smile behind a scowl as they danced. Harrison and Ted were arm in arm, laughing and singing at the top of their lungs. Sara twirled underneath Nyssa's arms, both laughing and merily singing along. Clark and Kara seemed to float, goofily dancing in circles. Jacob smiled.
Thea lifted her head, almost feeling the smile from Jacob.
Are you happy? She asked, gazing up at him.
I….i am. He admitted, looking down into her eyes. She smiled beautifully, standing on her tiptoes to kiss him. He grinned, embracing the warmth of her lips and placing a hand on the side of her face. The kiss was long and deep, full of love and longing.
Without warning, Thea broke away and sighed darkly. Jacob opened his eyes and looked at her with a frown.
What's wrong? He asked as she looked away from his gaze.
It is coming. She replied, her voice taking a dark, foreboding tone.
It was at that moment he realized the singing had stopped. He looked around in panic, finding everyone had vanished except for Thea. Thankfully she was still in his arms.
Listen, she whispered urgently, grabbing both sides of his face in her hands. You have to promise me something.
Thea whats wrong? He asked, heart starting to sink as everything around them began to get darker.
Just promise me, she urged. Promise me you'll stay alive, try and find the part of me in her.
What? He asked confused. What do you mean?
Just promise me! She repeated, hands gripping his face tighter and terror showing in her eyes.
I promise, he assured her, trying to reach for her hand. Something dark and cold began to pull him away from her embrace. He tried to fight it, but nothing he tried succeeded. She began to drift farther and farther way.
I love you! He yelled, body fighting against the pull and arm barely reaching out for her.
Always. She replied before a bright metallic blade pierced her chest, sending blood spilling out. Prometheus' modulated voice started to boom out, laughing and mixing in with Theas cry of pain. The dark, cold force began to turn his body away, bringing him face to face with Prometheus mask. The mask laughed at him, filling his mind with terror and the modulated torment. The cold began to spread up his body from his feet, creeping slowly higher. As it did so, the voices changed. Prometheus modulated laughter faded and was replaced with a mix of male and female voices speaking in a very strange language that he couldn't place. The cold kept spreading, rising up his chest and making him feel like something was crushing him. Farther and farther it went, filling his throat with a sensation like liquid. He tried to cough, but nothing happened. The voices raised higher and higher, till the cold spread to his head and everything turned black.