Five minutes.
That was how long Sara asked them to wait before going to investigate. What was left of the team obeyed her orders and remained right where she and Ray had left them, at least one of them checking their phone for the time every other second.
"So do we think this is a trap?" Nate finally spoke aloud what they had all considered at least once since receiving Barry's mysterious message.
Jax shook his head, a serious expression on his face. "Nah," he replied, "We might not know what's going on, but it's not a trap." He continued just before he checked his phone for the time, not even a minute had passed yet.
"But then what is it?" Stein questioned, "What could be so… be so drastic that Mr. Allen calls us here on the holiday without being able-" He was abruptly cut off from his rant by another sudden and powerful migraine, accompanied by more memory flashes of Lily.
He saw her as a toddler; playing with a cardboard box that had presumably once held a toy she cared little for in comparison. He saw her only slightly older, perhaps five-years-old, with chocolate smeared all over her guilty face. He saw a teenager lighting their family menorah, and so forth. He saw a few more flashes as well before his head cleared, for the time being, and he was brought back to the current moment.
"Professor?" Dr. Heywood asked him, concern lacing his voice, "Are you ok?"
"Oh yes," Stein answered as he collected his bearings, "Yes I'm fine, just a headache." He excused and he wasn't blind to the fact that Jefferson was rolling his eyes, as he knew exactly what had just happened.
Dr. Heywood looked as if he were about to question things further, but Jefferson shook his head in a way that told the man of steel not to bother.
"He gets migraines every once in a while, he's fine." The younger man covered and frankly Stein was a little surprised that he did, considering his young partner has been rallying for the older man to reveal Lily's existence since practically the moment he found out about her.
But Nate nodded at the excuse, he may not have totally believed it, but he believed it enough to trust that it wasn't an issue. He then brought his phone out from his pocket in order to check the time; they still had three minutes left to wait.
Huffing out a sigh Nate bounced once on his heels and lightly clasped his hands before unclasping them again.
"So…" He dragged out, trying to make small talk. "Assuming this isn't anything bad, any plans for the holidays?" He asked but both halves of Firestorm simply exchanged glances before shrugging.
"Just the usual," Jax supplied, "You?" He asked but Nate shrugged, they had already established back on the ship that he had nothing to do for Christmas.
The next three minutes passed by annoyingly slowly, but once they had passed and Sara and Ray were still yet to return the three men did not hesitate to start their way down the long corridor to the cortex. But they hadn't even made it halfway there before they found Ray hurrying his way towards them.
"Raymond?" Stein questioned upon seeing the rather alarmed look on the younger scientist's face.
"Don't go in there," he warned as he slowed to a stop.
"What? Why?" Jax asked but Ray was already practically pushing them all to turn around.
"Long story," he said, "Short version, Sara's sister's alive."
His three teammates wheeled back around to face him at that, varying degrees of disbelief written all over their faces.
"Just so we're clear," Jax began, "We're talking about the same sister that was murdered right?" He asked and Ray nodded, clearly not understanding the situation much better himself.
"Yeah," He said, his hands settling onto his hips in a stance that he so often took when trying to explain things, be it to himself or to others. "They're trying to figure it out now, but in the meantime I think it might be best if we all gave them some space." He said and the other three slowly nodded in reluctant agreement.
"I'll text Rory," Nate announced as he pulled his phone from his pocket, "Let him and Amaya know what's going on."
With the day now free to the team they slowly started to disband and head off to their own affairs. Once out of S.T.A.R. Labs Dr.'s Heywood and Palmer began making their way back across the parking lot and to the cloaked Waverider whilst Jax announced that he was going to head straight for home.
Thus leaving Stein to stand halfway between the gate and the spaceship with no idea which path to take.
"You coming Gray?" Jefferson called, snapping his older partner from his thoughts.
"Hm?" The older man replied before he realized what had been asked. "Oh yes," he said but still made no move in one direction or the other, so naturally Jax made his way back to him.
"Ok, then why aren't you moving?" He questioned in that knowing voice that tends to fall over him whenever he is calling bullshit.
"Oh… you know… just thinking." Stein replied, being at lease partially truthful.
Jax sighed; he didn't need their psychic link to tell him that Gray was nervous about seeing his daughter. He still isn't entirely sure he likes the idea of his partner growing attached to an aberration, but he had heard about Sara finding out and accepting what happened and Stein's wishes not to fix it, so it wasn't looking like Lily would be going anywhere. Besides, the holidays aren't exactly the time for a speech on reasons you should erase your daughter from existence.
"Look," He said, "I know you're afraid that Lily's gonna bring up some memory that you don't have yet, but you can handle that." He tried assuring his partner but it was all too obvious that the man wasn't convinced, so Jax resorted to playing the card that he really hates playing. "Take it from me," he said seriously, "It doesn't matter if it's Christmas, or Chanukah, or Kwanza, or whatever. No kid, fully grown or not, wants to spend it without their dad." He said and as expected that got a look from Stein that said he, first of all that he was sorry, and second of all that he would be going.
"Jefferson-" He began but Jax wasn't in the mood to listen, he had heard enough from his mom and her friends over the years about being sorry his dad wasn't around, he didn't want to hear it again.
"It's ok," he said before cocking his head towards the exit of the parking lot. "Come on, let's go before we spend Christmas standing around in a freezing parking lot." He encouraged and Stein chuckled at that.
By the time he reached his house any of the confidence that Jefferson had instilled in him was long gone from Stein. He was nervous all over again about the prospect of Lily or even Clarissa asking him a question he doesn't have the answer to or bringing up a memory that he doesn't remember. It also just in that moment dawned on him that he had completely neglected to bring a gift for either of them. He knew that wouldn't matter of course, that they would be happy with simply having him home and he and Clarissa had always waited until the last night of Chanukah to exchange their gifts anyway. He was sure that by this age, although to be quite honest Stein still wasn't completely sure of his daughter's exact age, Lily most likely waited for that night as well. With the revelation of Laurel Lance being alive he was sure that the team would most likely be staying in the present for at least one more day, so he could always go out tomorrow and get some small things. Anyway, he was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he didn't even notice the front door opening up before him, revealing Clarissa with a look of surprise on her face.
"Martin!" She exclaimed as she wrapped him in a hug, one that he happily reciprocated as all of his worried left him for the moment.
"How did you know I was out here?" He asked while pulling out of the embrace enough to look at her.
"We saw you coming up the sidewalk," Clarissa explained before stepping to the side and ushering her husband into the house. "Why didn't you just come in?" She asked,
"Oh I was, I was looking for my key. But I believe I left it back on the Waverider." Martin quickly lied, although to be fair his keys were currently in a drawer in his room back on the ship.
Clarissa laughed at his excuse, believing every word of it because that was something just like her husband to do. But Stein hardly noticed her laugh, instead distracted by the sight of his daughter poking her head around the corner just at the other end of the hall.
"Dad!" She exclaimed with a bright smile, stepping out from behind the wall to reveal that like her mother she was still clad in her pajamas. "We weren't sure you'd make it back."
Stein stopped where he was just beyond the doorway as Clarissa closed the door behind them, looking at his daughter. Her pajamas consisted of pink and purple plaid pants and an oversized MIT sweatshirt that he now remembered buying for her as a high school graduation present. Her short hair hung freely around her face and she seemed rather confused when he moved forward and wrapped her in a tight hug but she still returned it eagerly.
"Don't I get a hug?" Clarissa teased from behind her husband as he released their daughter and turned, rather sheepishly, to take her into his arms as well.
As the day went on Martin recapped for his wife and daughter the events that had taken place on the Waverider over the past few weeks, leaving out the mission to 1987 of course. The two of them, in turn, filled him in on what had been happening in his absence. There wasn't anything from Clarissa that he wouldn't have expected to hear, but he seized the opportunity to learn more about Lily. She talked mostly about her work, and from what Martin was able to gather she was a lab assistant somewhere just outside of the city. He also learned that in his absence his family had grown rather close to Jefferson's mother and had invited her over for dinner tonight. So while Clarissa called to see about any changes in the plans now that the team was home, Stein found his daughter sitting on their living room couch and watching a Christmas special.
"Lily?" He asked as he approached her from behind.
"Hey dad," she replied, her head swiveling around a usual smile illuminating her face when she saw him. "Christmas Vacation is on," she informed him, turning her attention back to the TV as he came around and sat beside her.
"Yes," He said absently in acknowledgement to her words. Although to be perfectly honest Christmas Vacation was not among the list of the few Christmas movies he really enjoyed. He had heard of it and seen bits and pieces over the years, but he could never remember sitting down to watch it from beginning to end in the way that his daughter appeared to be. "Lily I just wanted to apologize for my behavior last month, I didn't mean to act so… well… coldly towards you, and I'm sorry." He said, his daughter fixing him with a curious expression.
"Ok," She hesitantly said, "But can you tell me why you were?" She asked and the look on his face must have given away that he really couldn't because her gaze suddenly turned very pleading as she adjusted herself to face him. "You said it was complicated but that was it. Dad you used to tell me everything, no matter how complex or crazy." She practically begged and Stein found himself sighing, he didn't need any rewired memories to tell him that he and his daughter share the same type of mind and that meant she would never give this up.
"Alright," he gave in, "It's a rather long story that frankly I don't quite remember." He began, cooking up a small lie in his head to explain himself. "A few weeks before returning home I suffered from some temporary amnesia as a result of a mission. Many of my recent memories returned rather quickly but the long-term memory was another story. I had only just started getting it back when we landed, I had been able to remember the very basic things about your mother and so I came here hoping that she could help me-"
"That's why you asked for her when I answered the door," Lily interrupted softly as the information processed with her. Stein nodded rather shamefully at her words. "You didn't recognize me?" She asked, almost sounding hurt and Stein could tell that on some level she was.
He wanted so badly to tell her that of course he had recognized her, that nothing could ever make him forget her. But he couldn't, because if he did he would need to tell her that she wasn't originally supposed to exist.
And he could never do that.
"I did recognize your face," He finally said as if that somehow made things any better, "But no, I had no idea who you were." He admitted, "My memories have since returned, I assure you, but I am sorry for last month."
"You don't have to be sorry," Lily said dismissively as she reached over and wrapped her father in a hug. "I'm just glad you're ok."
Stein smiled as he hugged his daughter, pulling away just as he heard Clarissa coming up behind them now that she was off the phone.
"Ok, Stacie and Jax are still coming over tonight, what do you think about inviting the rest of your team Martin?" She asked and Martin smiled at the idea.
"I think that is an excellent idea."