Five days later

Sara sat at her desk at the Guild hall and stared at her new Guild emblem, a nearly luminous moonstone, carved with a tiny knife and set into a chain of gold. Cisco had done good work; the piece was beautiful.

Still, after just a moment, Sara let it fall back down to the end of the chain, sighing. She had committed to staying in Centralis, and she meant to keep that promise. But nothing seemed the same, now, not the promise of building the Guild into what it should be, nor exploring the city that was now her home with the friends that she'd made. Nor even the challenge of helping the king restore the city to order after Druce's coup attempt.

The noble families, each and every one of them, had rejected the actions of the Council members who should have been representing them. Eleven new Council members were either at the palace or on their way. The Druce family had ceded its seat; it seemed most of its members were more along the line of country squires, for all Druce's ideas about true royalty, and they were appalled at his actions.

(A historian friend of Raymond's had verified that Jurgens had been a member of the family, though he'd eschewed it to join the Mages Guild, where he hadn't even bothered to use the patronym.)

For now, at least, the empty Council seat would be filled on a rotating basis by a Guild head, with Harrison Wells taking the first turn. The Master Mage had been horrified at what he'd accidentally wrought by letting Leonard take a magical item they didn't thoroughly understand into a situation that, so it had turned out, they hadn't thoroughly understood either. He seemed willing to take on the role to mitigate that guilt, although he'd told Hunter that he had some sort of investigation to finish before he'd take the seat.

Sara, for her part, didn't blame him for what had happened. They'd had to destroy the stone. And Leonard, she realized now, had made his decision as soon as he'd realized what Druce's knowledge meant. He'd made his choice.

She just wished to hells it'd all turned out differently.

Mick had taken his friend and Guild leader's apparent—oh, she'd make herself think it—his death hard. He was still refusing to officially take the Guild or have Hunter confirm him in the role of new Guild head. Amaya, free now from serving as Sara's second—Sara had raised Zaim to that seat, at least temporarily-made been spending much of her time with him, something that would have amused Sara more if she wasn't feeling so very fragile in matters of…

She made herself think this, too. In matters of love.

She'd known Leonard only a few days. And she'd been falling in love with him. Now they'd never know how that would have gone, if they'd have scandalized their apprentices decades from now or simply remained friends, or…

Sara sighed again, then picked up her quill. It was time, she thought, to finally write to her family.

"Blondie?"

Sara glanced up, surprised that Mick had managed to sneak up on her. The big man stood in the doorway to her office, regarding her, and he…Sara frowned. He looked different. At least, different from the way he'd seen him recently, haggard and distracted. He almost looked…excited?

"I need to show you something," he said. "C'mon."

Sara shook her head, mystified. "Can we do this later? I…"

"Sara." Amaya moved around Mick to stand by his side in the doorway. "Please."

There was a subdued excitement about her, too, and Sara bit her lip. There was only one thing she could think of to cause that, but…

"OK," she said, getting to her feet. "OK. Show me."

They wound up at a place Sara hadn't been before, although she'd meant to pay a visit and her respects to the Guild leader soon: the Healers Guild hall, a white-walled building near one end of Guild Row, bigger than most of the other buildings. It wasn't the same as the hospital the Guild members ran in the city proper, but a few special cases were occasionally given space here, and Sara's heart started pounding as soon as she realized where they were going. But…it couldn't be.

"Mick," she said carefully after the apprentice at the door let them in, "why…"

"Mick!" A brown-haired woman about Sara's age, in a light-green healer's robe, rushed toward them, smiling. She halted as she took in Sara, but then her smile grew, and Sara puzzled over it, trying to figure out who the woman reminded her of.

"And this is Sara A'Stella?" the woman asked in a manner that made it clear it wasn't really a question. "Ah." Her smile became a little sly, and then Sara saw it then.

The woman introduced herself before Sara could make that guess, though. "Lisa A'Centralis," she said with a nod of her head. "I'm…I'm Lenny's sister."

Another time, Sara might have been a bit amused at "Lenny." Now, she just flinched. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I should have come here earlier, to tell you…about what happened. Truly, I'm so sorry."

The woman blinked—not what Sara was expecting. Then she eyed Mick, who looked a bit sheepish. "You didn't tell her?"

The big man shrugged. "Thought best to show her."

"What?" Sara asked suspiciously, the utterly unreasonable hope that she'd quashed earlier rising again. "Mick, Amaya, so help me…"

But Lisa turned away, starting down a hallway, beckoning them to follow her. "Well, then, let's do that."

Fortunately, it didn't take long before they got to a closed door, one with a city guard stationed at it. Lisa nodded to him, but before she could touch the door, it opened…and Harrison Wells loomed there, blinking in surprise at Sara—and then actually smiling, an expression that looked odd on features Sara already knew were more used to sardonic amusement.

"You're here!" he said, pausing in the doorway. "Excellent." He took a step back, motioning Lisa and Sara to follow him back in.

Sara took one step in and stopped in her tracks. She heard Mick's low rumble of laughter behind her, and Amaya's happy sigh, and Lisa's chuckle nearby.

And the hammering of her own heart.

"Len," she whispered. "It can't…what…"

Leonard was stretched out on the bed there, eyes closed, but his chest was rising and falling, and Sara could see that he was breathing peacefully. He was wearing what seemed to be a shift of sorts, but Sara could also see dark leathers folded on a nearby chair, apparently the ones he was wearing when…

She whirled, staring at Harry. "How?"

The mage gave her a small but sincere smile. "Druce had a lot of heretofore-unknown books and papers written by Jurgens in his lair," the mage said. "I was one of the first ones to get in there, and I confiscated them—and started studying them. I hoped I'd find something in there—since we didn't find, ah, a body…"

Sara swallowed, hard, stepping closer to Len's sleeping form. "He's OK? He's been awake?" She turned back to stare at Harry, as Lisa passed her to check Leonard's pulse. "How did you…"

"One thing at a time." The mage was smiling again though. "In order. Yes. And yes. A few hours ago. Lisa and Mick verified that it's him. He seems to remember everything right up to the blast." He paused. "He asked for you."

Sara closed her eyes a moment, then opened them again and gave him her best threatening look. (Which was probably spoiled by the tears in her eyes.) She heard Amaya and Mick quietly leave again, although Lisa moved toward them without speaking.

Harry looked like he was trying to figure out how to explain the situation when he wasn't quite sure about it himself. "The Oculus blast—it wasn't just an explosion," he said finally. "It was a time wave, for lack of a better term. And to maintain the wave metaphor, it knocked our felonious friend here right off his feet and into…time."

"Back in…"

"No. Into time." The mage sighed. "It's hard to explain, and I'm afraid I'm still working it out myself. But…Masters Martin and Raymond worked with me, and we found a way to reactivate the Oculus and pull him out."

"He makes it sound so simple," Lisa interjected. "I was there too, with Cisco, because they thought the blood link might help." She gave the mage a look that very much evoked her brother's, as Sara stepped a little closer to Leonard. "It took them a while to figure out how to get a portal, and then Harry here held the portal open multiple times as they searched. He passed out afterward."

"Well." The mage actually sounded embarrassed. "I rather caused the…problem. I seemed only appropriate that I help fix it."

Sara reached down and touched Leonard's hand. It was warm. Normal and calloused and warm. She looked back over her shoulder. "But…Druce?"

"We didn't look for him." Harry's voice was bleak. "If he's there…he can stay there."

Sara didn't feel like arguing. At all. She looked back down at Leonard, who was frowning in his sleep. "And he's OK."

"He's fine." Lisa moved over to join her, and Sara could hear the sincerity the other woman was trying to layer into her voice. "Really. I wouldn't tell you that if it weren't true." Sara could see her swallow, trying to contain her own emotions. "He's my brother. He…he very nearly raised me, far more than Lewis did. And…"

"And despite the usual image of a thief, he's a good man," the king's voice cut in then, and Lisa spun, bobbing a bow that quickly turned into a laugh as Hunter rolled his eyes at her. Sara, though, simply regarded the king as he moved in the door, and he watched her steadily in turn before letting his serious face relax into a smile.

"I will never stop owing you for the safe return of my son," Hunter said quietly. "But…given how…close…you and the Master Thief seemed after only a few days, I hope this helps, a little." He actually laughed at Sara's expression. "There are few secrets in this city, Master Assassin. You'll get used to that. I blame the bards."

"Right," Lisa told her, regaining her equilibrium in a way that definitely reminded Sara of her brother. "You're the biggest gossip in this city, majesty. Or…so all the apprentices say."

"And we all know the Guild apprentices have their finger on the pulse of this city more than anyone else." Smiling, Hunter shook his head. "May we have a moment, master healer?"

Lisa nodded, then winked at Sara as she moved out into the hallway, where Sara could also see Harrison had fled. Alone, the king and the assassin regarded each other for a moment.

"You're staying," the king said finally. It wasn't quite a question.

Sara nodded. "I am. I was even…" She looked down at Leonard. "…even before this. But this helps."

Hunter let out a breath. "Good," he said. "I…I'm still more comfortable among the Guilds than the nobles. And Len…the Master Thief…is a friend. I hope you are too."

Sara, touched by the idea that an actual monarch considered her a friend, smiled back at him. "I would be honored." She paused a moment. "Rip."

The king gave her a grin that about halved his age. "Gideon would like it too," he said quietly, then turned away, heading for the door, where he let Lisa back in. The other woman waited a moment, then turned and called after him as he left.

"Is it true there's going to be a new queen soon?" she asked innocently, and both women laughed quietly for a moment as the king beat a hasty retreat.

Sara hesitated before looking at Lisa. "Can I…"

"You can stay." The healer nodded. "Actually, there's no reason to keep him here anymore—his vital signs are all good. He really was sort of suspended, while he was…gone." She sighed. "Just…please. He cares for you. That's not something he…does easily."

"I will," Sara told her, not precisely sure what she was agreeing to, but nonetheless ready to agree to it. "I'll make sure he's OK."

Lisa gave her another quick smile, then paused and moved toward the door, slipping outside quickly. Sara, who'd been ready for some privacy, let out a breath, then turned back to the bed.

Len's eyes were open, and he was watching her.

"Are they all gone?" he asked quietly, tilting his head from side to side as if to stretch his neck.

Sara stared at him. "Yes," she said finally. "Were you awake that entire time?"

He didn't answer that particular question—which was, really, answer enough-but continued to watch her.

"Sara," he said finally.

"Len," she returned, utterly at a loss as to what to say. The silence stretched a moment, and then he spoke again.

"Leave it to Harrison to pull me back to all my responsibilities out of sheer stubbornness." His lips twitched, but then he glanced away. "I'm sorry."

"Why?" Sara started to reach for his hand, hesitated, and then did it anyway, wrapping her fingers around his.

Len's fingers, however, immediately tightened around hers. "For making that call. But I couldn't see another good way out. And…"

"It's OK," Sara said quickly. "It's OK. We have you back, and…" She looked down at their entwined fingers. "And that's enough."

Len studied her another moment. "Yeah?" Carefully, he tugged on her hand, pulling her down, toward him. Sara didn't resist. She stretched out beside him with a sigh, putting her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes.

"So," she heard him whisper, "will the newly established alliance between the Thieves Guild and the Assassins Guild continue?"

Sara smiled, then opened her eyes again, tilted her head back to look into blue eyes, taking in the affection and…and maybe more…that she saw there.

"I don't know," she said lightly, "will the newly established alliance between the Master Thief and the Master Assassin continue?"

Len smirked. "I sure as hells hope so," he said. And kissed her.

Anyone interesting in a sequel or two?