I am posting all the chapters left of this story tonight. I don't know if anyone is still reading this, but I hope so.


Sara came to dangling upside down over water, and she let out a shriek through her gag. Her wrists were bound behind her, and her feet were tied and attached to a hook.

"Took you long enough," a voice said, and she looked to see a very cold looking man standing next to Lee, who was bound to a chair with someone aiming a gun at his head for good measure.

"Hello," the man said to her. "I'm Conrad Stonebanks. You can call me Conrad." He took a pause and then smiled. It wasn't a kind smile. "One thing you should know about me: I don't mess around. Another thing: I enjoy tormenting my victims until I kill them."

Sara felt scared in this moment. She didn't know what to do. She could see Lee trying to think of something but so far coming up with nothing.

"So, Lee," Conrad said, looking at him now. "I hear you really fancy this girl."

"What do you want?" Lee asked.

"Nothing. I just want you to suffer."

"Why?"

"Because you broke Abe's rules."

"How do you know Abe?" Lee asked on Sara's behalf.

"That's a long story," Conrad said, grinning now. "You see, I got killed in 2014 by none other than your pal Barney Ross, but Abe...he came beforehand and told me to wear some body armor, so I did. When I came to, he had me in the year 2050."

Sara felt her blood run cold. No. No, no, no...

"He gave me this amazing apprentice," Conrad said next, looking at Sara. "Cid, I believe his name is."

"No!" she yelled, muffled.

"I brought him back in time with me...avoided my past self. He's 16 now, by the way. Very good shot. Very lethal. I really love the way he rips people apart, but we don't do that often because we couldn't risk word getting out."

Sara felt tears now. She hadn't wanted that for her son at all.

"Lethal just like his mummy, right?" Conrad asked her now. She shook her head. "Anyway, long story short: Abe wants you both dead, but he told me I could have some fun first." He gestured to someone, and Sara barely had time to take in a breath before she went under. Just when she felt like she was going to drown, she was pulled back out. Gasping and gagging, she fought to free herself. She saw Lee get backhanded hard when he tried to free himself. She was put under again. And again and again. She was ready to die when it finally stopped. She was put on the ground, and she looked up at Conrad as he stopped above her.

"You're pretty tough," he said. "That's good." He picked her up, and she was dragged along inside the building. Lee was taken in next and put into another room. Conrad closed the door and pulled back the curtain to reveal she could see Lee. He came over to her next and cut her free, which surprised her. She removed the gag, and he tossed her a towel.

"What're you doing?" she couldn't help but ask. She was shaking from being cold and a bit scared.

"I'm sorry about just now," he said, ignoring her. "I had to see for myself how tough you are. I'm impressed."

"I don't understand..."

"Abe might want you dead, but I don't want to kill you, Sara," Conrad said, leaning against the table with his arms crossed. She could see he had blue eyes now and some scars.

"Why not?"

"Isn't it obvious?" he asked, laughing a little. She stared at him, not getting it. He sighed and shook his head, but he wasn't angry. He pulled out a photograph and showed her.

"No," she whispered.

"Yes," he confirmed. "You definitely got my eyes."

"I am nothing like you," Sara shot at him. How could this be? She had been so sure Barney was her father!

"You thought it was Barns, right? Yea, not the case. I met Lou not long after, and we had you."

"But...I was born in 2016..." she tried.

"Your mother lied about your age...faked your birth certificate. Sorry, kid," Conrad said. "You're my baby girl."

Sara was breathing hard. This was unfathomable. How could this man be her father?!

"What about my sister?"

"She was adopted not long after you were born...found her abandoned and alone in some God forsaken drug house. We didn't really know her age, so we just made it up. She was quite little and didn't understand fully and never questioned it."

"Oh my God," Sara said, trying to understand it all.

"See, your last job in 2016 was to kill Barney," Conrad advised. "But I decided to step things up a bit sooner, so your pal will be joining us shortly, and I will finish him. Me and him...we go way back, just so you know."

Sara felt horror inside. So she had guessed right. Barney was her last target after all.

"Cid is an amazing young man," Conrad went on. "He and I have a great thing going, and we'd like you to join us."

"Not a chance in hell," she retorted, glaring at him.

"Hm," Conrad said, mulling it over before sucking his teeth. "Alright, maybe this will change your mind." He moved to tap on the glass, and Sara watched in horror as men began beating on Lee, who was chained to the wall by his arms behind his back. One got him in a chokehold very tightly, and she could see Lee struggling to breathe. He didn't have enough slack in the chain to use in his favor.

"Stop it!" Sara shouted at Conrad. She wanted to cry at the sound of Lee choking through the speakers. After a moment, Conrad tapped the glass again, and Lee was left alone with the men standing around him. He was breathing hard.

"I will kill him if you say no," Conrad told her, looking at her again. "How about that?"

"Just let him go," Sara pleaded.

"Well here's the thing, actually," Conrad said, smiling again. "I'm not gonna be the one to kill him."

"What?" Sara asked.

"Bring him," Conrad said into his walkie talkie. Sara leaped into action, trying to tackle Conrad. She did her best, but he was bigger. Then Conrad backhanded her across the face, stunning her. She fell onto her back on the floor and looked up at him through blurry eyes.

"You're my kid and all, but that doesn't mean I won't put you in your place," he warned. He cracked his knuckles for good measure. Sara eventually got back on her feet, and Conrad gestured for her to go closer to the window, which she did hesitantly. When she approached, she saw Lee being left alone by the other men. Then the door opened and a figure emerged. Sara's breath caught in her throat.

Cid.

"No," she said. There was no doubt it was her son. He was 16, but it was him. There was anger in his eyes as he walked towards Lee. The other men left the room altogether at this point.

"Your son will kill him," Conrad said simply. "Unless I tell him to stop because you'll join us."

"What have you done to him?" Sara asked, pressing a hand against the glass.

"I made him the best assassin the world has ever known."

"You should have left him alone," Sara said raggedly. She watched as Cid punched Lee hard in the face and stomach. "Tell him to stop!"

"Will you join me?"

"No..."

"Then he doesn't stop."

"NO!" Sara screamed, pounding on the glass. "CID, STOP!"

"Funny thing," Conrad went on, pleased with himself. "He thinks your boyfriend is the one who killed you."

"What?!" she exclaimed, spinning to face him. "Why?!"

"Cos I told him it was. I told him I'd found him in this timeline and he could save you if he killed him. He believes me."

"NO!" Sara screamed again. "CID, IT'S NOT HIM! STOP!"

"He can't hear you," Conrad said logically. Sara had had enough. She couldn't watch Cid destroy Lee slowly piece by piece, and she knew that eventually, Lee would find a way to fight back and that was not good. She turned on Conrad and attacked him. He was taken off guard at first, and then he fought back. Sara knew this was the fight for her life that Lee had trained her for, and she wasn't going down easy. After rolling around and punching and kicking and biting and whatever else she could think of to inflict pain, she grabbed a hold of the chair and brought it down on his head. Stunned, he fell back, giving her the chance to get out of the room. She raced out and down the hall to the other room, kicking the door open at full speed. Cid was wielding a knife now, getting ready to slit Lee's throat.

"CID, NO!" she screamed, and the boy turned at the sound of her voice. He stared at her, eyes turning from cold hatred to shock. Sara was breathing hard and shaking, knowing she only had seconds.

"Baby, he didn't do it," Sara gasped. "He didn't shoot me. That's not him. I swear. Cid, it's me. It's your mother. I'm alive. I'm fine. I'm right here."

"Mom?" Cid said, his voice sounding small and vulnerable just like it did all those years ago.

"Cid," she said again, her voice full of tears. "I love you, baby. It's okay. Please stop hurting him. He's my friend." Lee was bleeding from all over at this point, and he was watching warily. Sara shrieked when a hand grabbed her shoulder.

Conrad.

"Finish him, Cid," Conrad ordered. "She's lying."

"I'm not lying!" Sara shouted before Conrad clamped a hand over her mouth and tightened his arm around her neck. Cid looked at both of them, unsure of what to do. Then he looked at Lee.

"If there's anyone who loves your mother as much as you do, it's me," Lee said to him quietly. "I'd do anything for her, and if that means having to die in order for her to live, then so be it."

Sara shouted through Conrad's hand again, and Cid's hand holding the knife twitched. Conrad held onto her tighter as she tried to get free. She watched in horror as Cid raised the knife towards Lee's chest. She screamed. Lee didn't even blink or flinch, his eyes looking directly into Cid's.

Then Cid turned and threw the knife, having it land in Conrad's arm. Conrad howled, and he let go of Sara, who shoved him back and ran to grab the key off the table before going over to Lee and freeing him and then grabbing her son to shield him. In that time, Conrad ran out the door and locked it behind him. Lee slammed into it, trying to pound his way out, but it was useless.

"Mom," Cid kept saying. "Mom."

"I got you," Sara said back, holding him close. "I got you. It's okay now. We're okay."

Lee grunted and growled as he rammed himself against the door. He tried to break the glass next, but nothing worked.

"Lee," Sara said to him, making him look at her. "Conrad said he's my father."

"What?!"

"That's what he said. He said my mother lied about my age and made up my sister's age. He said my sister was adopted."

"Wow."

"What do we do?" she asked, changing the subject. "How do we get out of here?"

"I..." he started, but the door opened, and they all stared at the man standing there now.

"What?" Barney asked. "What did I miss?"

"Barney!" Sara gasped.

"He got away," Lee explained.

"I saw him." Barney looked bothered.

"What's the plan?"

"He's waiting for us," Barney answered. "Outside."

Sara felt nervous, and she looked at Lee. Cid was still buried in her arms, and she wanted to enjoy this moment with him and the fact they were reunited, but the pressing issue of Conrad was ruining it.

"You good to go?" Lee asked her.

"Yes."

"I won't blame you if you want to get out of here." His meaning was clear. She shook her head.

"I'm not leaving you."

"Who is this?" Barney inquired, gesturing to Cid.

"This is my son. Cid."

"Barney," Lee said wearily. "There's so much shit going on that you don't know about. We'll have to explain it to you later."

"He really isn't the guy?" Cid asked her now.

"No, he's not. That's all been sorted out, baby," Sara said to him, smoothing a hand over his hair now.

"Come on," Barney urged. "We gotta go."

Sara followed behind, keeping Cid shielded as best as she could.

"We can't kill Pops," Cid said.

"He just tried to kill me, Cid," Sara replied. "He's not a good man." She hated how conflicted her son looked, but he had spend a lot of time with Conrad after all.

They found Toll, Caesar, and Gunner fighting Conrad's men. It was a mess, and Sara was trying to figure out how to survive it when Cid broke away from her.

"CID!" she screamed. He ran towards Conrad (either to join him or kill him...she didn't know), who gave Sara a look she would never forget.

"You should've joined, Sara," he said. Then he shot and killed Cid right in front of her.

"NOOOOO!"

Lee tried to stop her, but she was already running at Conrad, wanting to murder him. He holstered his gun and slapped her away and then engaged in the fight she wanted. Lee was suddenly next to her, trying to assist. And then Conrad aimed his gun at Lee, and she just couldn't take another loss of someone she loved. She jumped in the way, and Conrad shot her.

As she fell, she couldn't help but think that at least she'd see Cid again.

...

Lee caught Sara as she fell, and they fell together to the ground. Barney shot at Conrad, making him duck and then run off with Barney in hot pursuit.

"Sara," Lee said, turning her onto her back. "No, no, no. Sara!"

"It...hurts," Sara managed to say. The blood was pouring out of her quickly, and Lee knew she wasn't going to make it. First Cid, now her. He wasn't sure how he was going to survive this.

"Come on now," he said, taking her face in his hand as he used his other to cram into her wound to stop the bleeding. "Stay with me."

"You can still...save us," Sara said to him, grasping his right arm with her hand. "The device..."

"What?"

"Take it...2044...August th-thirteenth," she said weakly.

"Sara..."

"Please," she begged. "Save us." Lee gave up trying to stop the bleeding, and he pulled her into his arms. He could feel her fading fast.

"I love you," he said into her skin. "Sara, I love you." Her hand pressed over his heart, then a last, shaky breath sounded from her lips, and then she was gone. He was still holding her and rocking back and forth when Toll found him. It took Lee a moment to realize it was silent around them.

"Shit," Toll said. "Is she dead?!"

"Kill that bastard," Lee said, choked through his emotion. "Kill him now." Toll was about to run and find Conrad when Barney returned slowly.

"It's done," Barney said. "He's dead."

"So is she," Toll explained, gesturing.

"F***," Barney said, running a hand over his head tightly. "I'm sorry, Lee." He looked at Lee as he continued to grip Sara tightly against him. A tear was sliding down his cheek now.

Gunner and Caesar arrived at this point, both out of breath.

"What a shit show," Caesar puffed. "Did you get 'im, Barns?"

"Yea."

"Oh, shit," Gunner said, noticing Sara in Lee's arms.

"Who's the boy?" Toll asked.

"Sara's son. Conrad killed him," Barney explained. "To punish Sara. She died saving Lee."

"What a mess," Caesar said sadly. "I'm sorry, man." Barney went over to Lee and gently tugged Sara from his grasp.

"We have to go, Lee," he said. "Let me take her."

"This isn't over," Lee said suddenly, looking at Barney. "I can still save her."

"Lee..."

"No, I can," Lee argued, getting to his feet. "She just told me how."

"What?"

"August 13, 2044. That's when she and Cid get shot," Lee said. "I can stop it."

"What are you talking about, Lee?" Barney asked. The others were just as confused.

"Sara's from the future," Lee said. "I know because she took me there. It's weird as shit, but it's true, Barns. This guy Abe took her son, and Conrad somehow got him and brought him back here."

"I don't understand..." Barney said.

"You don't have to. Look," Lee said, getting impatient. "I'm going, and I need you to come with me. I need your help ending this."

"How the hell are you getting to the future, Lee?"

"She has a device," he told them. "It'll take me there."

"So...you're gonna leave the present and go live in the future?" Caesar asked, trying to make sense of it.

"Yes," Lee answered.

"But how will she know who you are or even let you help her?" Toll asked, confused.

"I'll have to convince her."

"Oh boy," Caesar said, sounding unconvinced.

"I can't make sense of any of this," Toll said.

"Come on," Lee said, heading to look for a car to take him back to his place to get the device. "I'll explain on the way." Once he was finished, all of them were blinking and staring, but no one argued with him.

"Well, shit," Caesar finally said.

"Will she even be there still?" Toll asked, bringing to life a fear of Lee's.

"She's got to be," he answered. "She comes here in 2050. If I get to her in 2044, I'll change all of that."

"Oof," Toll said. "I hope it works."

"I'm going with you," Barney advised.

"And us?" Gunner asked.

"No," Joe's voice said, making Lee turn to see him. "Me." Lee had explained about Joe to them all, and Barney was giving him a wary look.

"Why?" he asked.

"Cos Abe and I have some unfinished business," Joe answered. "And I have a wife to get back to."

"So, we stay?" Toll clarified.

"I think that's for the best," Barney agreed. "Take care of things around here."

"What about your girlfriend?" Gunner asked, and Barney sighed.

"I'll have to move on."

"She's Sara's mother," Lee blurted out, and Barney raised a brow at him.

"Excuse me?" he asked.

"She thought you might be her father, but she said Conrad told her he was her father. Apparently her mother lied about her age, so she was born earlier than she thought."

"My head hurts," Toll groaned.

"Well, Lou did say she ended with someone not long ago. Perhaps it was him," Barney said, frowning.

"Are we gonna stand around clucking like a bunch of hens or are we gonna end this shit?" Joe asked abruptly. Lee nodded.

"Let me change." If Sara saw the blood on him, she wouldn't let him near her. He guaranteed it. He came back and looked at Gunner, Toll, and Caesar.

"I guess this is goodbye then, lads," Lee said. "It's been a hell of a ride. I wouldn't have changed a thing."

"Feel free to come back and get us sometime," Toll joked. Lee fist bumped and clapped shoulders of his team, getting the same in return. It hurt to leave them behind, but it hurt more imagining life without Sara in it.

"We'll still be around," Gunner commented. "We'll just be in our 80s."

"70s," Caesar corrected defensively.

"Some of you," Gunner agreed. Caesar was doing mental math now.

"Oh, Tool would be like 92! Wow..."

"That's if we survive getting shot at, blown up, stabbed..." Toll started, rhyming it off while ticking his fingers.

"Come on," Barney told Lee. "This could go on for hours."

Lee nodded and gave his team one last look. Then he looked at the device in his hands. He turned it on and felt nervous as it came to life under his fingers. He entered the year, month, and day (deciding to get there a few days early just in case) and then took in a deep breath. Barney and Joe reached to hang onto him.

It was now or never.

"I'm coming, Sara," he said. "I'm coming."

2044

"Sara?" Cid asked, making her look at him. She wished he would call her "Mom." She wondered what it would take for that to happen.

"Yes, baby?"

"Who is that?"

Sara lurched forward and looked out the window. A man was standing in their yard. He was looking at the house, unmoving. She felt her heart clench, and she went for her rifle. She banged open the front door and aimed it at him.

"You're trespassing!" she shouted. "I will shoot you!"

"I'm here to see you, Sara," the man said. His British accent was a bit thick. She looked at him, not lowering her gun.

"Why?" she asked. How did he know her name?!

"You're in danger," he answered. Sara felt weird suddenly. Then she felt Cid press against her legs.

"Who is he?" he asked.

"Cid, get back," she ordered, standing in front of him to hide him.

"My name is Lee," the stranger said. He was holding up his hands now. The long sleeves of his shirt moved in the wind. "I'm harmless. I swear."

Sara didn't know what to do at this point. She slowly lowered the gun, and she stared at this man who was looking back at her almost like he knew her. It was bizarre.

"What danger?" she asked.

"Can I approach?" he countered.

"Cid, go inside," Sara ordered.

"But..."

"Now!" she barked at him, and the boy obeyed but grumbled about it the whole way. Once he was gone, Sara stepped down onto the lawn and walked towards Lee. Her gun was still aimed at him.

"I won't miss," she warned.

"I'm telling you, I'm here to help," Lee insisted.

"What's happening?" she asked, lowering her gun slowly. "Is it Cid? Is someone coming to hurt him?"

"I can't get into specifics," Lee replied. "Mostly because I don't know most of the specifics of what leads to it. I just know that it ends badly by the cane fields, and I need to stop that from happening."

"What aren't you telling me?" Sara questioned, searching his face. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Alright," he said. "This is going to sound insane, but when you told me you were from the future, I did eventually believe you."

"What? What are you talking about?" She was growing a bit aggressive now.

"I'm from the past, Sara," he said, and she stiffened. He was from the past? Then how did she know him? What the hell was going on?!

"You're insane," she said, aiming the gun at him again.

"Clearly, you started training after this," he said, reaching to grab the barrel and pull it from her easily. She felt outraged at how easily he'd done it. "What I'm trying to say is that a different version of you got sent back to the year 2010 where I was because you thought you were going to get Cid back if you did."

"This makes no sense," she said. "You're bullshitting me. This is total garble..."

"You know about the Loopers?" he asked.

"Yes," she answered. "I've had some johns tell me about it." She saw his face visibly pain at this. She frowned. Why did he care about her past job?

"Okay, well, you became a different type of a Looper," he went on.

"So you're saying that I eventually get sent to the past where I meet you?" she asked, trying to understand it all.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"From my understanding, something bad happens here soon, and you lose Cid, and some guy named Abe has him and makes you do work for him in the past in order to get him back," Lee explained.

"Did I get him back?" Sara asked, feeling panicked. Who was Abe? What was happening?! Then she noticed Lee's face, and he looked even more pained. "Lee? What happens to me? Why are you here?"

"You were sent back to work with my team," he said, ignoring the questions. "The Expendables." Sara felt her head start to spin. It all made no sense...

"What happens to me?" she asked again, needing to know. If he was here before she got hurt, then did that mean...?

"You...you die," he answered slowly. "After getting Cid back." Sara felt the punch to her chest and gave a tiny gasp in response. She died. She died trying to get back to Cid. How was this even possible? She couldn't comprehend this at all.

"You told me to come here," he added softly. "You told me to save you, and that's what I'm doing." She looked at him and saw the earnestness on his face. Why would he make this up? What was in it for him? Then there was a man years ago who told her to trust people with a raven and skull tattoo. She looked at him but didn't see one.

"And Cid?" she asked, her voice a whisper. "What happened to him?"

"He was killed too," Lee answered truthfully. She gripped her chest with her left hand tightly.

"How do I know you're not making this up?" she asked. He reached for his wallet and pulled out a few things.

"My birth certificate," he said, showing her. It was a bit tattered looking, and she read the date on it. He definitely was from a different time. Then she saw the photograph of her and Lee with their heads together, eyes closed. She was laughing at something while he looked almost serious. It was the strangest feeling, seeing oneself in a photo and having zero recollection of it.

Then the tattoo. It was right there on his forearm. She swallowed.

"My head hurts," she said, turning to pace.

"Mine did too at first when you told me about coming from the future," he admitted. She noticed then that his face had some cuts and bruises. He looked like he'd been in a fight recently.

"Did this just happen?" she asked, gesturing. "Did I just die?"

"Yes," he answered. An even more bizarre feeling went through her. She crouched slowly, trying to get her bearings. She could sense Cid watching from inside. She didn't want to scare him, but Lee's story was making her freak out.

"Oh my God," she said, trying to breathe.

"I know it's a lot..."

"A lot?! It's too much!" she exploded at him. "Y-You come here and tell me that I'm dead and someone is going to try and hurt us at some point soon?! What did you think that would do to me?!"

"I know it's hard to believe..."

"That's why you're looking at me like that," Sara said suddenly, getting it. "You and me...we were screwing around weren't we?"

"It was a little more than just screwing around," he said quietly. She stared at him.

"No," she said, shaking her head. "I don't do love. I don't love people. The only person I love is Cid."

"I know," he said back. "It took you a long time to admit you fell in love with me."

"You need to leave," she said, standing up again. "Right now."

"I'm not going anywhere," he argued. "You asked me to come here, so I'm here. I'm not leaving."

"Clearly I was deranged," she snapped.

"You were only thinking about Cid!" he shouted at her. "Okay?! You were upset because he'd gotten killed, and you asked me to save both of you, so that's what I'm doing!"

Sara was already walking away from him. She didn't want to hear anymore craziness. Her head was spinning, and she wanted to vomit. She went inside and slammed the door shut. She didn't want to hear anything else.

"Sara?" Cid asked.

"Stay inside today, okay?" she told him.

"Is he a bad man?"

"No. He's just...he's confusing me," Sara answered truthfully. "Please stay away from him."

"Okay."

She went to her room and sank down on her bed, putting her head into her hands. Her future self had died in the past. Her future self had lost Cid. Her future self had loved the man outside.

What the hell was happening?!

She let out the breath she'd been holding. It was crazy, but it seemed too much to be fake. And why would someone in her past tell her to trust someone with that exact tattoo if there wasn't a reason for it? And that photo...there was obviously something between them. It felt beyond strange not to remember any of it. She looked at her window, and she knew that she wouldn't be able to help herself.

She'd let him in...because despite it all, she wanted Cid to be safe, and if Lee could provide that for her, then she'd take it.


Honestly, I drove myself almost mad trying to make an ending for this story, but I had to let go of some of the mechanics of time travel to make it work or else my head would explode, so I apologize if the rest of the chapters don't make sense. I had many different "loops" written out for endings, and this is the path I chose to take lol. I really kind of like now it's Lee's turn to convince her. Thank you for understanding!