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#ch: Master Raymond
buzz-africa-media · 1 year
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Constance Nigerian Idol: Biography, Age, Date of Birth, State of Origin, Instagram
Raymond Dokpesi, a prominent Nigerian businessman and media mogul, was born on October 25, 1951, in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. He is the founder and chairman of Daar Communications PLC, a media conglomerate that owns and operates various Nigerian television and radio stations. Raymond Dokpesi Biography & Profile Summary Name: Raymond Dokpesi Born: October 25, 1951 (age 71) Died: May 29, 2023 Place of Death: Abuja Political party: People’s Democratic Party Alma mater: University of Gdańsk Website: raymonddokpesi.com Raymond Dokpesi Age At the time of his passing, Raymond Dokpesi was 71 years old. Raymond Dokpesi Education & Early Career Dokpesi received his primary and secondary education at Loyola College in Ibadan and continued his studies at Immaculate Conception College (ICC) in Benin City, where he even founded a dance/drama troupe. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in marine engineering from the University of Benin in Edo State and a master’s degree in marine engineering from the University of Gdańsk in Poland. Notably, his education was supported by Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, demonstrating his belief in Dokpesi’s abilities. Dokpesi’s career was marked by his visionary approach to the Nigerian media landscape. He founded DAAR Communications, which grew to become a major player in the mass media market. Under DAAR Communications, Dokpesi established Africa Independent Television (AIT), Nigeria’s first private television network, transforming the country’s media landscape. He also founded Raypower FM, Nigeria’s first privately owned radio station, and the Nigerian Compass newspaper. Dokpesi’s involvement extended to Nigerian politics, where he was an activist for the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and held various positions within the party structure. The AIT and Daar Communications Plc In 1989, Raymond Dokpesi founded Daar Communications Plc, a media conglomerate that has become one of Nigeria’s leading media organizations. Daar Communications owns the Africa Independent Television (AIT) network, one of Nigeria’s prominent private television stations known for its extensive news coverage, entertaining programming, and thought-provoking documentaries. Raymond Dokpesi Family Raymond Dokpesi is a devoted family man, and his family has played a significant role in his life. He is married to Angela Dokpesi, and together they have several children. His children, including Regina Dokpesi, have established themselves in their respective fields, carrying on the family legacy of excellence. Regina works as an on-air personality for DAAR Communications Plc. Raymond Dokpesi’s marital situation has been complicated due to internal family conflicts, leading him to enter into polygamy, which he now considers one of the biggest mistakes of his life. He had been married to several women, with his second marriage resulting from family issues. As a devout Catholic, Dokpesi admits that he did not desire polygamy but was forced to accept it due to circumstances. Despite this, he has a deep affection for his first wife, a Polish immigrant, with whom he hoped to spend the rest of his life. They were physically separated as she needed to be with her parents in Poland as their only child. Raymond Dokpesi Philanthropy Raymond Dokpesi has shown his commitment to philanthropy by building community schools and providing scholarships to prospective students for tertiary education. Raymond Dokpesi Criticism and Controversy In 2010, Dokpesi was arrested for his alleged involvement in an Abuja car bombing but was released after nine hours in detention. He later filed a lawsuit against the country’s secret police for alleged wrongful imprisonment. On November 11, 2015, Dokpesi issued a public apology on behalf of the PDP party for the mismanagement of Nigeria under PDP governments, acknowledging that mistakes were made and expressing a sincere apology. Raymond Dokpesi – Health Challenges and COVID-19 Survival Dokpesi has faced health challenges, including a stroke in 2017 that required extensive medical care and rehabilitation. He demonstrated tenacity and determination in his recovery. In 2020, Dokpesi and some members of his family tested positive for COVID-19. Despite the severity of the virus, he survived and used his experience to raise awareness about the impact of the pandemic. Raymond Dokpesi Cause of Death According to family members, Dokpesi passed away while receiving treatment at a hospital in Abuja. He had a stroke after fasting during Ramadan and was in the process of recovery. Unfortunately, he suffered an electrocution during a routine gym session, leading to a stroke and, ultimately, his demise. Raymond Dokpesi Net Worth Raymond Dokpesi’s contributions to the media industry and his entrepreneurial ventures led to his financial success. He emerged as one of Nigeria’s wealthiest businessmen, with an estimated net worth of $50 million. Read the full article
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Conversation
Claire: I'd like to buy your strongest poison.
Master Raymond: Aisle six, next to the sympathy cards.
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otheroutlandertales · 5 years
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@scotsmanandsassenach sent us the following picture as a prompt: 
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Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5 
Witches - Part 6
by @whiskynottea
Claire had spent all morning trying to track down Raymond while cursing the fact that her time-travelling abilities hadn’t landed her in front of him -- even though she had focused as hard as she could on her beloved frog-man while touching her necklace stone.
But she was, at the very least, in the right time.
She had forgotten how terribly loud everything was in the future. It gave her a headache, to listen to the hum of mechanical sounds all around her, ongoing, everlasting, annoying. Her mind ached for a chirp, for the rustle of leaves dancing in the wind, for simple, beautiful things.
Belatedly, she realized she didn’t long for 18th century Paris. What she missed, was Scotland. Lallybroch.
But she had a purpose here and time was pressing.
She had checked every pharmacy in the area. After awkward conversation upon awkward conversation with clueless pharmacists, she arrived at the conclusion that Raymond owned none of them. Which was totally unexpected. Wasn’t a pharmacist the modern translation of an apothecary? What was he doing, now? Where was he?
It was relentlessly hot, and she was sticky with sweat. She was thirsty and tired, and even though time travel had been easier this time without carrying Jenny and Ceana along, and nausea had subsided within the first hour in the future, she felt weary. And impatient. Time was wearing thin, and fear crept inside her heart.
What if she failed at finding Raymond?
Claire drew a deep breath and shook her head to scatter the ominous thoughts.
She continued walking on the sidewalk, looking at the Parisians as they passed by her in hopes that he’d simply appear before her eyes. Nobody graced her with a second glance, and, for once, she felt grateful for the self-absorption of the modern world.
She walked by a boulangerie, and the scent coming from inside, butter, sugar and flour mixed in heavenly doughs made her stop in her tracks. Without meaning to do it, her head turned for an infinitesimally short moment, to look longingly at the baguettes and fresh croissants.
Her eyes got wide, and she felt her heart dance in her chest at the echo of a tune he had taught her when she was a child. Raymond was there, smiling at the cashier and turning to leave with a pain au chocolat in hand.
Good gracious!
His eyes went as wide as hers the moment he glanced at the door. Claire stood shock-still and Raymond assumed a nonchalant walk until he was by her side.
“Pretend you don’t know me,” he murmured.
Claire tried to suppress the urge to hug him and scowled at him instead. She didn’t speak. Still wondering what all this was about, she noticed the small gesture of his hand as he stepped in front of her; she followed him, a few steps behind.
She kept a reasonable distance behind him until they were outside the crowded part of the city centre. She had almost lost him among the tourists in front of Notre Dame, and a feeling of despair rushed through her. Just as panic started to set in, she spotted him again. Raymond had reduced his pace allowing her to catch up to him. Finally, when they left the busy streets, they walked alongside one another.
“It’s not safe,” he said, still not looking at her. “You’re not safe.”
Her throat suddenly was too tight for air pass through. She felt her heart constrict in her chest, her palms slick with sweat. This was not what she expected to find in this time.
They were supposed to be safe. They left home and split up for this exact reason -- to be sure no one could trace them. Maybe seeking out Master Raymond was wrong. She could see what he meant now. He had taken the hardest path, traveling to the future to draw them away from her.
Flashes of enemies calling her La Dame Blanche in that narrow Parisian alleyway made it difficult for her to process the words he was saying. It was daytime now, but that terrifying night still had the power to wake her in the dead of the night, when her guard was down.
Claire matched Raymond’s every step, thinking. He had sent her to the Scottish Highlands to be safe and she had ruined everything by traveling back to him. She dared a glance at Raymond. His face was somber, his eyes fixed on the end of the street. But his lips were pressed together, in that thin line that was indication enough of how irritated he was.
They took two more turns, the sun now hidden between tall buildings. Raymond checked the vacant alley carefully, then dipped a hand inside his pocket. Keys clinked for a moment midair, then the largest one was in the lock, and he softly opened the door. He didn’t look at Claire, just entered the building and let the door swing back, stopping it a moment before it slammed shut.
Claire moved towards the door, repeated Raymond’s inspection of the alley with a quick turn of her head, and followed him.
He was waiting for her just behind the door, and his grim expression vanished the moment she smiled at him.
“Ah, mon cherie,” he whispered, then crushed her in his embrace. “What in God’s name are you doing here?”
“I needed your help. And your advice,” Claire said with a bashful smile.
“I see. Let’s go upstairs.” He looked at the narrow stairs, then back at her. It was as if he didn’t mean to, but her smiled again. “You will tell me everything over a cup of hot chocolate.”
“Oh, hot chocolate,” Claire moaned in a dreamy voice, then followed him up the stairs.
His apartment was small, but it held a warmth in it. Bright sunlight shone through the wide windows, flourishing ethereal, streaks of dust above the furniture. A small table, overloaded with books, a comfortable couch, two armchairs. The walls were covered with bookshelves, interrupted by two impressionist paintings that looked suspiciously like originals.
Raymond nodded towards the kitchen, then asked her, in a serious tone, why she had come. She saw displeasure and fear in his eyes. “I told you to avoid risks, especially so soon.”
Claire nodded, aware of the peril of the situation. “I won’t stay long.”
“No, you won’t.” His voice was determined, and she saw the man Comte St. Germain had learned to be afraid of. Raymond reached for the milk in the fridge, then turned to look at her and his expression softened. “Are you well? In Scotland?”
A wide grin spread on Claire’s face. “I never expected to say that after parting with you, but I have found something as close to a family I can ever get.” At Raymond’s raised eyebrow, she continued. “I know I’ve not been there that long, but it feels like family. And my sister, Jenny, is an oracle -- a very powerful one. She’s the reason I knew where to look for you.”
Raymond sighed, his shoulders dropping a few inches, and a soft smile loosened up the tension on his face. “At least you brought me good news, Madonna. I was concerned about you.” Pouring hot chocolate into a large mug, he passed it to her. He took his own from the counter and headed to the formal living room.
“Why do you think it’s not safe here?” Claire asked once she was seated in the lavish armchair.
“It’s not what I ‘think’. I know it’s not. This is the third apartment I’ve lived in since being here.” He scratched his jaw, avoiding her eyes for a moment, selective with his next words. “Life is dangerous, Madonna.”
“Why don’t you go somewhere else? To another time?” she asked without giving it great thought. It was the obvious thing to do.
Raymond smiled wistfully. “The more I travel, the more he’ll travel. I’m not a young man anymore, and I’m tired of getting chased across the centuries.”
Claire nodded without fully comprehending. If he asked her opinion, she would advise him to run to another time and let the Comte search for him.
“It doesn’t matter.” Raymond’s voice was sweet and made Claire’s head pop up to look at him. He looked older than the last time she’d seen him. “What matters is to keep you safe. So you better tell me now, why are you here?”
“I want to save someone. A boy who’s to be executed without a trial, by an abusive redcoat, drunk on power.” Raymond lifted both eyebrows, but didn’t say a thing. “I need a poison, something that will make him look like he’s dead. I’m thinking of a neurotoxin that would induce paralysis. And the antidote, of course.”
“And how exactly is this plan going to work?” he asked, placing his now empty cup on the table.
“He will drink the poison the morning of his execution. When they’ll visit his cell he will seem already dead. And then we will retrieve him and I will heal him -- if I can.”
“I’m happy to hear doubt in your voice, Madonna, because healing a person when he’s so close to the other side is not an easy feat.” He paused and looked at her for a long moment. “But then, you should trust in your power.”
“It’s not something I have tried before…” Claire trailed off when she saw him shaking his head.
“In life, mon cherie, we do things we’ve never tried before. Things that lie in an unknown, terrifying ground. It’s not the deed itself, it’s who we are that determines our success. The most important step you have to take, is to believe in yourself. And then, to learn your limits and push through them. It’s the only way you’ll become better, even if that means you’ll fail again and again before gaining a victorious smile. No one ever gained a full life by staying in their comfort zone. And you’re the White Raven.”
Claire buried her face in her hands and rubbed her temples. “I’m the White Raven and I found you on accident. How pathetic is that.”
Raymond chuckled. “At least you’re lucky. Luck is often underestimated.” He looked at Claire, with another wistful smile. “But you can’t count on luck. Anyway,” he said. “Now we have to decide on the poison. I’m thinking atropa belladonna or hemlock. Maybe aconite. I’m also thinking that if you had read the books I’d given you, you would know by now what is safe to use and you wouldn’t have to travel through time to consult me.”
Claire grimaced and placed a hand over her heart, as if a deadly wound had been inflicted on her. Raymond laughed.
“I wanted to be sure,” she said a moment later. “I don’t want to kill him by accident. I thought of curare, too. It affects the lungs, but not the heart. Maybe it will be easier for me to bring him back.”
“Oh yes, good choice,” Raymond murmured. “Very good choice. Maybe sharing my herb encyclopedias with you hasn’t been in vain, after all.” He grinned slyly, then shot out of his chair and hurried toward the door. “I have a pharmacist or two I can trust. I’ll go get the curare. And you'll need some pyridostigmine or neostigmine, too. As an antidote.”
“Or edrophonium!” Claire shouted, still seating in her armchair. Her limbs were still heavy, and she luxured in the feel of the slippery silk that covered the sturdy dark wood.
Raymond stilled at her addition, nodded, and opened the door. “Don’t leave the house,” he warned, and left.
Claire distracted herself while waiting for Raymond first by looking out the window, then by perusing his library. Her eyes widened with elation when she saw A Review of Chemical Literature (Specialist Periodical Reports) standing thin next to an immense tome of human anatomy.
It was published only a few months ago. This must be her lucky day, afterall. Thirty minutes later, she knew that the duration of curare’s action had a range from 30 minutes to 8 hours, depending on the variant of the toxin and dosage. Alex’s respiratory system would paralyze and even while being conscious, he would be unable to control any muscle of his body. It would take four to six minutes to make his heart stop. Four to six minutes to get him out and heal him.
Mere minutes. Claire’s own heart shrank inside her chest, threatening to stop as she held her breath. She would have too little time. She might not get to him fast enough.
The door opened and Claire started at the intrusion. She hadn’t heard Raymond walking up the stairs.
Claire turned slowly to face him, waving the journal in her hand and grinning, ready to show him how she had embraced his love for reading. Before she had fully faced the door though, she froze.
It wasn’t Raymond. This man didn’t wear the silken brocade vest and coat she had last seen him in, but she would recognize him everywhere.
The Comte.
His expression was not belligerent; instead, his posture was relaxed. He was grinning at her, calm and arrogant. He stood tall, with beautiful blue eyes and strong cheekbones, and she thought he might have been beautiful if he were not so terrifying. His cold stare made a shiver run down her spine and all she wanted was to recoil and hide.
“Finally,” he said, and Claire could almost see triumph thick in the air around him. “We meet again.”
She stepped back and her shoulder hit the bookcase. She was trapped. But she wouldn’t be defeated. She looked the Comte in the eye, defiant, daring him to approach her.
A chuckle left him, low in his throat, in a way a hunter might laugh at his prey. Claire didn’t trust herself to talk. Her hands were shaking. As though he had sensed the nearly imperceptible movement of her long fingers, a scent of her fear, he took a step, coming closer. “You’re coming with me.”
It was then that realization dawned on her. He didn’t want her dead, as she had thought all this time. He needed her to be alive, because this was the only way he could benefit from her.
She was ready to decline his offer when she heard Raymond’s voice from behind the Comte. “No, she’s not.”
Claire saw the small man crouch, then slid a package on the wooden floor to her. The moment she got it in her hands, Raymond spoke again, his voice clear as a bell. “Fly. Now!”
“Don’t you dare.” The Comte’s menacing voice made her look up at him. He was holding a gun, pointing it at her.
Claire shot a last, regretful glance at Raymond, clutched the package close to her chest, and touched the stone of her necklace with her free hand. She didn’t have time to think. She closed her eyes, and felt the stone’s vibration running through her together with a burning flash on her shoulder.
She squeezed her eyes tighter, heard the Comte walking closer to her, and disappeared.
Part 7
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dopescotlandwarrior · 4 years
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Beauty Chooses-Master List
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From runways in Paris, New York, and Milan, to the covers of Vogue and Vanity Fair, Claire Beauchamp is on fire. The lanky orphan becomes the princess on the pedestal until she falls down the rabbit hole into the arms of Jamie Fraser.
“ I’ll find you. I promise. If I have to endure 200 years of purgatory… 200 years without you, then that is my punishment..."
Ch-1 Claire and Joe
Ch-2 Jamie Fraser
Ch-3 Alter Ego
Ch-4 Down The Rabbit Hole
Ch-5 Le Bristol, Paris
Ch-6 Back to The Wood
Ch-7 The Bonnie Witch
Ch-8 A souvenir For Joe
Ch-9 A Long Visit At Lallybroch
Ch-10 A Long Visit At Lallybroch 2
Ch-11 The Coin
Ch-12 The Cottage
Ch-13 Souvenirs and Artifacts
Ch-14 Psychotic Break
Ch-15 Hypothermia
Ch-16 I Love You
Ch-17 The Truth Comes For Joe
Ch-35 Time is Short
Ch-18 Joyous In The Morning
Ch-19 Scotland
Ch-20 Reunited And Secrets Shared
Ch-21 Finding Lallybroch
Ch-22 Claire Saves Lallybroch
Ch-23 Yes
Ch-24 Betrayal of a Best Friend
Ch- 25 Mortal Danger
Ch-26 Love And Fear
Ch-27 Quiet Before The Storm
Ch-28 Yi Tien Cho
Ch-29 France
Ch-30 God’s Gift
Ch-31 Master Raymond
Ch-32 Master Raymond And Claire
Ch-33 Leaving France
Ch-34 Baby Faith
Ch-35 Time Is Short
Ch-36  Leap Of Faith
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uneminuteparseconde · 5 years
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Des concerts à Paris et alentour en gras : les derniers ajouts :-: in bold: the last news Octobre 21. Pawns + Youth Avoiders + Barren? – Espace B 21. Les morts vont bien + Rivière de corps + René Couteau + Razzle Dazzle (dj) (Obernoir fest.) – L'International 21. Gâtechien + Wallack + Baron Crâne – ESS'pace 22. White Ring + Ghoster + Dalhia – Supersonic (gratuit) 22. Carambolage + Deedee & Tha Abracadabras + Roger de Lille & The Gin Tonics + The Hare (dj) (Obernoir fest.) – L'International 22. Thurston Moore – Trabendo 22. David J – Petit Bain 23. Ecstatic Vision + Les Tigres du futur + Os Noctambulos – ESS'pace 23. Sly & The Family Drone + Stef Ketteringham + Decimus + Dust Breeders – Espace B 23. Plomb + Je t'aime + Electric Press Kit + dj Oxblood (Obernoir fest.) – L'International 23. Tamara Goukassova + Fun Fun Funeral + Kassie Krut  – La Station 23. Four Tet – Le 104 ||COMPLET|| 24. Last Night + Negative Space + Pedigree + Buzz Kull + Sydney Valette + dj Dave Rockin (Obernoir fest.) – L'International 24. Çub + Ayya + Radiant – Le Cirque électrique 24. The Necks – La Marbrerie (Montreuil) 25. A Certain Ratio + Empereur – Petit Bain 25. Poutre + OK fdp + Bruant zizi – ESS'pace 25. Fiesta en el Vacio + Axell Larsen + Franz France + Sinead O'Connick jr + Paroi (Serendip Lab fest.) – Jazz y Jazz 25. Catastrophe + Sean O'Hagan + Form – La Maroquinerie 25. Curses + Sophie Morello + Tonn3rr3 + E for Ears & Grāv Jōnz + Trusspe – La Station 25. Dave Philips +  Bernardino Femminielli & Thea Govorchin – 3 rue de Tournant (Aubervilliers) 25. Blind Delon + Nick klein + UVB 76 + Dress Rehearsal + Little Nemo + L’An2000 [DaGeist + Outer Limit Lotus : ANNULÉ] (Obernoir fest.) – L'International 25. Automat + Stephanovitch + Cirylux + Worker Poor + Stef Mazet + Taiko Nova – Les 4 éléments 25. Varsovie + Paulie Jan + Blndr b2b Panzer + Mind Matter + End of Mortal Life – Glazart 25. Jozef Van Wissem – Crypte Notre-Dame de la Croix (sur résa : jvwparis[@]gmail.com) ||COMPLET||   25. Bestial Mouth + Veil of Light – Protocol (Pantin) ||ANNULÉ|| 25. Orphx + O/H + December + Unhuman + Limbus Puerorum – Protocol (Pantin) ||ANNULÉ|| 26. The Monochrome Set + The Last Detail – Petit Bain 26. Nina Harker + Bianca Warlord + Amour Formica – Le Zorba 26. Truckks + Terrier + Achab + Olive Pogo + Car Crash Control (dj) (Obernoir fest.) – L'International 26. The Wheal + Princesse Napälm + L'Orchidée Cosmique + Klymt (Obernoir fest.) – L'International 26. Femminielli + dj Sundae + ANDCL + Oko – Petit Palace 26. Joachim Montessuis + Martin Bakero – Galerie Metanoïa 26. Rouge Mary + Regina Demina + AZF + Léonie Pernet (dj) + Juke + Morello – Point FMR 26/27. Ilya Smirnov + Christophe de Rohan Chabot + nikolaiykm + Natalya Serkova – 3 rue de Tournant (Aubervilliers) (sur RV : nikolaiykm[@]gmail.com)   26. Mørbeck + Philipp Strobel + IV Horsemen – La Machine 26. Alignment + Hadone + UVB + Parfait + Repro – tba 26. Loto Retina + Jakub Lemiszewski + Somaticae + Le Compas dans l'oeil + Ahta Bat + Letal Ataraxia (Serendip Lab fest.) – Le Sultan 27. Laurent Garnier + Deena Abdelwahed – Dehors brut 27. Stephen Mallinder + Laisse Moi + Hexenschuss (Obernoir fest.) – L'International 28. Kate Tempest – Le Trianon 29. Danse avec les Shlags – Le Motel (gratuit) 29. Agent Side Grinder + DaGeist – La Boule noire 29. Pauwels + Mr Marcaille + BOB Cooper – L'ESS'pace 30. The White Screen + Techno Thriller + Novichok – Supersonic (gratuit) 30. Oiseaux-Tempête + Jessica Moss – La Maroquinerie 30. Jenny Hval – Centre Pompidou 30. Battles – Trabendo 30. Dame Area + Slaylor Moon + Noir de Maars– Espace B 31. Skepta + Mura Masa + Hamza + Zola + Ateyaba + Celeste + Duendita + Ezra Collective + Flohio + Kojey Radical + Master Peace + Slowthai + The Comet is Coming + Yussef Dayes + Charlotte Dos Santos + Kojaque (Pitchfork fest.) – La Grande Halle de La Villette 31. Arrington de Dionyso – Instants chavirés (Montreuil) 31. Broken English Club + Cabaret nocturne + IV Horsemen + Gil. Barte – Petit Bain Novembre 01. Chromatics + Belle & Sebastian + Primal Scream + John Talabot + Weyes Blood + Barrie + Briston Maroney + Chai + Desire + Helado Negro + Jackie Mendoza + Nilüfer Yanya + Orville Peck + Sheer Mag + Squir + Loving + Nelson Beer + Sons of Raphael (Pitchfork fest.) – La Grand Halle de La Villette 01. Park Hie Jin + HAAI + Afrodeutsche + Nite Fleit (Pitchfork fest. after party) – Trabendo 01. Meconio + Mamachi + Punaises + Areva (LaDIYfest) – Le Cirque électrique 01. Imperial Black Unit + Mekano + CH-01 + Krase b2b Alphonse Fassaert – Petit Bain 01. Under Black Helmet b2b Hadone + Inhalt der Nacht b2b Echoes of October + Danilo Incorvala + Makornik + Félicie – Les Docks de Paris (La Plaine-Saint-Denis) 02. The 1975 + Charli XCX + 2manysdj (dj) + Aurora + Agar Agar + SebastiAn + Aeris Roves vs Jamila Woods + Jessica Pratt + Kedr Livanskiy + Korantemaa + BEA1991 + Caroline Polachek + Ela Minus + KhadyaK + Mk.gee + Oklou + Tobi Lou (Pitchfork fest.) – La Grand Halle de La Villette 02. Volt + Vicious Irene + U.R.S.A + Gertrude + Kalicia Katakov (LaDIYfest) – Le Cirque électrique 03. Whispering Sons – Point FMR 03. Ensemble économique + CIA débutante – Le Chinois (Montreuil) 05. Body of Light + Dead Mascot + Boy Scoot Hopkins – Supersonic (gratuit) 05. Ceremony – Espace B 05. Dear Deer + Traitrs + Men in disorder – L'International 06. The Murder Capital – Nouveau Casino 06. Scattered Purgatory + Qian Geng + UVB76 + ruò tán – Le Cirque électrique 06. Minus Pilot + GNG + Thomas Stone + Kevin Buckland – Café de Paris 06. Mont Analogue + Les Halles + Bravo Tounky – Garage Mu 06. Guitar Wolf + School Disco – Gibus 06. Glacial – Instants chavirés (Montreuil) 07. Camilla Sparksss + Hyperculte [+ Xiu Xiu : ANNULÉ] – Petit Bain 07. Kælan Mikla – La Boule noire 07. Randomer + Parallx + Parfait – Glazart 08. Bedroom Community – Cité de la musique|Philharmonie 08. Part Chimp + Gnod + Hey Colossus – Petit Bain 08. Sourdurent + Raymonde – Pan Piper 08. Jad Wio + Love in Prague – Gibus 08. Jennifer Cardini b2b Gerd Janson + Mouse on Mars + Fantastic Twins + Oko DJ (10 ans d’Arte concert) – La Machine (gratuit sur invitation) 08. Crystal Geometry + Monya + Size Pier + Kaya + Sina XX – La Station 08. Boy Harscher – Trabendo ||COMPLET|| 09. Trotski nautique (20 ans de l’Omadis) – Omadis (gratuit) 09. Molchat Doma + War Scenes – La Station 09. Fleuves Noirs + Thank + Drive with a dead girl + Panico Panico – Le Rigoletto 09. Leroy se meurt + Staatseinde – Le Zorba 09. Kwartz + ABSL + Toscan Haas – Glazart 10. Amiina : cinéconcert sur "Fantomas" de Louis Feuillade – Le Studio|Philharmonie 10. Ôlafur Arnald + Hugar – Salle Pierre Boulez|Philharmonie 10. Fontaine D.C. – Bataclan 12. Deerhunter + Moon Diagrams – Trabendo 12. Up-Tight + Officine – Instants chavirés (Montreuil) 13. Mick Harvey & JP Silo, Steve Shelley, Glenn Lewis – Les Trois Baudets 14. Dinah Bird & Jean-Philippe Renoult (Inaudible Matters) – La Gaîté lyrique 14. Girl Band + Silverbacks – La Maroquinerie 14. Automatisme + Lacustre (Sulfure fest.) – Le vent se lève 14. Manni Dee + Remco Beekwilder + Mental Infection – Glazart 14. Stella Chiweshe + Is a Fish – Instants chavirés (Montreuil) 15. Von Pariahs + Nursery – Point FMR 15. Tendra Ael + City Dragon + Meryll Ampe + Divisas – La Pointe Lafayette 15. Chemical Brothers – Seine musicale (Boulogne-Billancourt) 15. Kap Bambino – La Gaîté lyrique ||ANNULÉ|| 15. Karenn + 16H07 + Antigone... (Big Bang Festival) – Les Docks de Paris 16. Kas:st + Agoria + Bambounou b2b François X + Charles Kenkler + Matrixxman + Remcord...(Big Bang Festival) – Les Docks de Paris 17. Nitzer Ebb + Liebknecht – La Machine 17. Tropical Fuck Storm – Badaboum 18. Omni + The Gotobeds + Pleasure Principle – La Boule noire 18. Surf Curse + edgar déception + Fiasco – Supersonic (gratuit) 19. Earth + Helen Money – Petit Bain 20. Lucy Railton + Sean Baxter + Jessica Ekomane – Instants chavirés (Montreuil) 21. Cate Le Bon + Grimm Grimm – Petit Bain 21. Haco + Emiko Ota avec KiriSute Gomen – Studio Campus 21. Vincent Ségal, Clément Saunier, Odile Auboin, Jossalyn Jessen et Gilbert Nouno jouent des pièces de Peter Eötvös, Yan Maresz, Gilbert Nouno et Fausto Romitelli (fest. Innovasounds) – Le 104 21>23. Nosfell : “Le Corps des songes” (fest. New Settings) – Théâtre de la Cité internationale 22. eRikm + Franck Vigroux & Antoine Schmitt : “Chronostasis” (fest. Innovasounds) – Le 104 22. Rubin Steiner + Dombrance + Ambeyance + Meteo Mirage – La Maroquinerie 22. Nursery + Casse Gueule + Tout de suite – Cirque électrique 22. Kazu Makino (Blonde Redhead) – Les Étoiles 22. Drew McDowall – tbc 23. Franck Vigroux & Kurt d’Haeseleer : “The Island (part. 1)” + Cinna Peyghamy (fest. Bruits blancs) – La Muse en circuit (Alfortville) (gratuit sur résa) 23. Trio Sacher + Ensemble intercontemporain (fest. Innovasounds) – Le 104 23. Billy Childish + Le Villejuif Undergroud + Petausaure (fest. BBmix) – Carré Bellefeuille (Boulogne-Billancourt) 23. 999999999 + Jawbreakrs + Nico Moreno + Perc + Sentimental Rave + Softcoresoft + Trym + Parfait + UR trax – tba 24. TR/ST – Le Trianon 24. Mdou Moctar – La Boule noire 24. Midori Takada + Carla dal Forno + Felicia Atkinson (fest. BBmix) – Carré Bellefeuille (Boulogne-Billancourt) 24. The Young Gods + Les Tétines noires – La Machine 26. Wardruna – Olympia 27. Poly-Math + Bruit ≤ + Maven – Supersonic (gratuit) 27. The Stranglers – Olympia 27. Silly Joy + Raskolnikov + Jupiter Jane – L’International 27. Le Singe blanc + Double Nelson + Putavelo – Le Cirque électrique 27. Hélène Breschand, Tarek Atoui & Cécile Mont-Reynaud : “Pandore” + Ensemble Motus joue Tony Conrad et Elsa Biston (fest. Bruits blancs) – Anis Gras (Arcueil) 28. The Psychotic Monks – Trabendo 28. Artl + Powerdove – Petit Bain 28. Derek Holzer : “Vector Synthesis” + Cate Hope & Lisa McKinney : “Super Liminum” + Antoine Schmitt & Hortense Gauthier : “CliMax” (fest. Bruits blancs) – Le Cube (gratuit sur résa) ||COMPLET|| 29. Scanner – Nouveau Théâtre de Montreuil 29. Ulrich Krieger : “Raw” + Cellule d’intervention Metamkine (fest. Bruits blancs) – La Muse en circuit (Alfortville) 30. Mondkopf – Médiathèque musicale de Paris (gratuit) 30. Donato Dozzy + Max Cooper + Terry & Cyan Riley + Ensemble intercontemporain joue "Drumming" de Steve Reich + Ensemble Social Silence joue "Music for Airport" de Brian Eno + Apollo noir + Récital pour marimbas (Marathon fest.) – La Gaîté lyrique 30. Aidan Baker & BOW Quintet + SEPL (Sulfure fest.) – Le vent se lève 30. Ulrich Krieger + Natacha Muslera + Julien Desprez + Eryck Abecassis + Sylvaine Hélary avec Clyde Chabot, Jean Cagnard, Ismaël Jude, Nathalie Papin et Michel Simonot (fest. Bruits blancs) – Anis Gras (Arcueil) Décembre 01. Motorama – La Maroquinerie 03. White Hills – Supersonic (gratuit) 03. Belgrado – Espace B 06. Phillip Glass Ensemble : cinéconcert sur "Koyaanisqatsi" de Godfrey Reggio – Salle Pierre Boulez|Philharmonie 06. Answer Code Request + Regis + Raslan b2b Yoannis – La Seine musicale (Boulogne-Billancourt) 07. Phillip Glass Ensemble : cinéconcert sur "Powaqqatsi" de Godfrey Reggio – Salle Pierre Boulez|Philharmonie 07. Kokoko! – La Gaîté lyrique 07. I Hate Models – tba 08. Phillip Glass Ensemble : cinéconcert sur "Naqoyqatsi" de Godfrey Reggio – Salle Pierre Boulez|Philharmonie 08. Mark Lanegan Band + The Membranes – Le Trianon 11. Boris – Le Gibus 12. Mono + Jo Quail – Petit Bain 12. Kompromat (Vitalic & Rebeka Warrior) – La Cigale 13. Contrefaçon – La Gaîté lyrique 13. Regards extrêmes + Lisieux + Ascending divers – Les Voûtes 14. Ludwig Von 88 – Le Trianon 18. Amenra – Bataclan 2020 Janvier 04. Rokia Traoré + Ballaké Cissoko & Vincent Segal – Salle Pierre Boulez|Philharmonie 16. Black Midi – Le Carreau du Temple 17. Edith Nylon – Petit Bain 17. Scratch Massive + Lokier + Cassie Raptor + Faast + Kiddo – Badaboum 18. Lee Ranaldo & Raül Refree – Le 104 18. Franck Vigroux : "Flesh" (Biennale Nemo) – Maison des arts et de la culture (Créteil) 29. Rendez-Vous – La Cigale 30. Editors – Salle Pleyel 31. Tindersticks – Salle Pleyel Février 02. Sunn o))) – La Gaîté lyrique 09. Explosions in the Sky – La Cigale 13. Ride – Le Trianon 16. Orchestral Manoeuvre in the Dark – La Cigale 21. Ensemble Links joue "Drumming" de Steve Reich + Cabaret contemporain : "Détroit" + Molécule – Le 104 24. Sleater Kinney – Le Trianon Mars 02. DIIV – La Gaîté lyrique 05. Orange Blossom : “Sharing” avec les machines de François Delarozière – Élysée Montmartre 06. Frustration – Le Trianon 07. Ensemble intercontemporain joue Steve Reich : cinéconcert sur un film de Gerhard Richter – Salle Pierre Boulez|Philharmonie 10. Arnaud Rebotini : live pour “Fix Me” d’Alban Richard – Centre des Arts (Enghien-les-Bains) 11. Nada Surf – La Cigale 13. Russian Circle + Torche – Bataclan 17. Chelsea Wolf – La Gaîté lyrique 20. Ensemble Dedalus joue "Occam Ocean" d'Éliane Radigue – Le Studio|Philharmonie 21. Front 242 + She Past Away – Élysée Montmartre 21/22. Laurie Anderson : "The Art of Falling" – Cité de la musique|Philharmonie 27. Lebanon Hanover – La Gaîté lyrique 28. Ensemble Links joue "Drumming" de Steve Reich + Cabaret contemporain joue Kraftwerk – théâtre de la Cité internationale Avril 14>17. Metronomy – La Cigale 27. Caribou – L’Olympia Mai 08. Max Richter : "Infra" + Jlin + Ian William Craig – Cité de la musique|Philharmonie 09. Max Richter : "Voices" – Salle Pierre Boulez|Philharmonie 10. Max Richter : "Recomposed" & "Three Worlds" – Salle Pierre Boulez|Philharmonie 19. Swans + Norman Westberg – Le Trabendo 23. Damon Albarn – Salle Pierre Boulez|Philharmonie 24. Damon Albarn – Salle Pierre Boulez|Philharmonie ||COMPLET|| 26. Minimal Compact – La Machine Juin 14. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Bercy Arena
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stillthewordgirl · 5 years
Text
LOT/CaptainCanary fic: (I Don’t Believe in) Destiny (Ch. 11 of 11)
Leonard Snart is back, finally pulled from the timestream where he's spent the last four years. But he wasn't alone, and the repercussions of that will echo through the Legends, the Time Bureau, and beyond.
And maybe, just maybe, they'll bring everything around full circle.
*
And here it is! I hope you enjoyed it. Many thanks to Pir8grl.
I may write (or have written) a few one-shot follow-ups. The first (did someone say CaptainCanaryBlazer?) will be posted tomorrow or Sunday.
Please note that I continued my own personal Mary Xavier headcanon. Forgive me the indulgence. ;)
Can also be read here at AO3 or here at FF.net.
*
Ch. Eleven: In a State of Grace
Leonard Snart is groggy. More than groggy, really. He feels like he’s been dreaming a very long time, and while it’s been a pleasant dream—something to do with Barry Allen—he feels like he needs to wake up.
But he can’t seem to open his eyes.
He’s not particularly comfortable, though, he thinks, consciousness prodding at him. He’s sort of sprawling in a semi-upright position, and one leg’s falling asleep. He really needs to wake up.
There’s a warm breath by his ear, then, as if the wish is granted. An amused whisper of “Leonard…”
He knows that voice. Sara. Yeah, he doesn’t want to ignore Sara. Not only is he quite stupidly in love with her (easy to acknowledge that, in a dream), Sara has knives. Lots of sharp, pointy knives.
Leonard opens his eyes.
Sara’s watching him, standing very close, amusement and relief warring with something deeper in her gaze. She’s wearing her white uniform, and she’s obviously been in a fight, from the bruise on her cheekbone and the few scratches he sees. A fight…
And it all comes back to him.
“Are you all right?” he asks sharply, sitting up and staring at her, ignoring the vertigo. “Sara…did…”
Sara shakes her head, but not in a negative. She holds up a hand and starts ticking points off on it patiently. “Druce is, apparently, gone,” she says. “And we won. The part of the Time Bureau that went over to Druce is under arrest by the other part. Ava isn’t a Time Master after all.”
Leonard remembers. “She was supposed to be,” he murmurs. “She was before. She chose otherwise this time.”
Sara stops, staring at him. “What?” she asks faintly, then shakes her head. “Not now…anyway, the Oculus exists again, although no one’s quite sure how to use it to see anything—or if it can be used to change anything. And the Time Bureau is building an outpost here, but it will be on a rotation of sorts. And…”
She leans over, looking at him, eyes bright and smile just a little shadowed. Leonard blinks up at her, wondering, expecting some sort of confession and trying to decide if he should make his first.
“And you’re in my chair,”
Oh.
He glances around, finally, registering that he’s sprawled in the captain’s chair on the Waverider bridge. Where, apparently, the Time Force had dropped him. Evidently it has a sense of humor.
“Um,” he manages, then attempts to regain his cool, smirking up at her. “Well, you did say you wanted me here.”
Sara’s eyes flash with laughter, but there’s a chorus of groans from the side, as well as a wolf whistle from what seems to be Charlie and the call of “too much information, Snart!” from a voice that’s clearly Mick’s. The other man moves closer as Leonard struggles to sit up a little more, and the two old friends study each other for a long moment before Mick grunts.
“Good work,” he says, turning away lest any feelings be aired. “You didn’t blow yourself up this time.”
“I didn’t blow myself up last time!” Leonard calls after him, getting flipped off in response. Between them, it’s nearly as good as a hug.
Better, maybe. Because it’s them.
Sara’s studying the rest of the peanut gallery with a mock scowl.  “I thought I told all of you to wait outside,” she says, but with humor in her voice.
“Since when do we listen?” Nate calls out, and Nora giggles. Of all of them, Leonard thinks, she looks the worst for wear, a bit of a shiner about her eye and her arm in a sling—but even that’s not too bad. Raymond is hovering, clearly ready to defend her against all comers. Charlie’s leaning on Zari as if favoring a foot—although neither of them looks unhappy with the situation.
Sara makes a face at them and waits until they trail off the bridge, then turns back to Leonard, holding out a hand. He grabs it and lets her haul him to his feet—although he notes immediately that he’s not quite as creaky as he might have felt before.
And Sara notices…well, something, too. She studies him intently, eyes narrowed, as if to figure out if the Oculus did anything bad to him, and he smirks in return, waiting until he realizes she’s not going to say anything.
“I got the Time Force to take a few years off me—and do a few other things,” he tells her. “We’re a little closer now.” He shrugs. “It tried to offer me immortality, but frankly, I don’t want it.”
Sara blinks. “Ah,” she says faintly, “OK. Good.”
And then she reaches out, grabs his shirt, and pulls his lips down to hers.
*
When they finally make it off the ship and over to the bureau camp, Ava is standing there, lips pursed slightly, studying what seems to be a map. She tosses a smile their way, though, as Sara and Leonard approach
“Dr. Palmer and I found the old Oculus viewing chamber in the wreckage,” she says. “And we could indeed use it to see many things, past and present, though I think it’s going to need a lot of practice.” She shakes her head. “And it seems to have a mind of its own now. Quite recalcitrant.”
Both she and Sara look at Leonard, who smirks and folds his arms. “Think the Time Force got a little tired of being used,” he drawls. “Tracking history, that’s one thing. Manhandling it to suit yourself, that’s another. Time Masters thought they knew better than anyone else. They didn’t.”
Ava nods distractedly. “Well, no one’s changing anything except through old-fashioned legwork, I think.” She sighs, though she doesn’t seem unhappy. “Same as before.” She gives Sara a regretful glance. “Still. You’re sure you want to trust this to the bureau? To me?”
The doubt in her voice makes Sara’s heart hurt. Yes, Ava had been wrong about Druce, but she’d done the right thing in the end and she’d changed it all. She starts to tell her former lover that, but then another voice lifts, a voice that makes two of the three of them spin and stare.
“Well, you will have me.”’
Sara blinks. She and Ava glance at each other in disbelief, then look back at the brown-coated man who’s walking toward him, looking more like he had back in the first days of the Legends than the more uptight days of the bureau. There’s someone behind him, stopping to speak to another Time Bureau agent, but that seems extraneous when compared to a resurrected director/captain.
“Rip?” Sara asks faintly. “How…”
Something occurs to her, then, and she turns to stare at Leonard, who simply lifts both eyebrows at her.
“Mary gave me a lift,” Rip Hunter is saying as he reaches them. “Filled me in, too. I’ve been staying with Jonah since I had to run from Mallus.” He smiles at Sara. “I understand you lot weren’t even that far away for a time…but I needed a bit of a vacation.” He glances at Leonard. “Welcome back, Mr. Snart.”
Leonard nods to him, while Ava straightens formally after a moment of shock. “The bureau is yours again, director,” she says carefully. “I…”
“Oh, I don’t want it.” Rip beams at her, rubbing his hands together. “Not only do I not want to accidentally impress any more of the old ways of the Time Masters onto the new form of the Time Bureau, I find I much prefer…hmm…the freelancer lifestyle. But I know at least something of what we can do here.” He nods. “So, Director Sharpe, put me to work.”
Ava blinks at him, then directs him toward the Oculus viewing chamber, where Ray is studying the mechanism. But Sara’s suddenly registered a comment from earlier. “Mary,” she says quizzically. “Mary Xavier? But how did she get here?”
“Oh, you don’t think I marooned myself at the Refuge all the time, did you?” The person who’d been following Rip steps out around him as he turns, smiling at them. “No worries, the children are tended. But this is quite an amazing accomplishment, my dear Legends, and I thought congratulations were in order.” She studies Leonard a long moment, then nods. “Also, Mr. Snart, you made the right decision.” She glances at Ava. “As did you, Ms. Sharpe.”
Sara’s frowning, bothered in some way by the loose ends. “But how? Do you have a timeship?”
“Oh, I have means, dear.” Mary turns aside and toward the Waverider, where most of the other Legends are helping bureau members set up temporary buildings. She waves toward something at the other end of the site. “No worries.”
Sara squints at it, a little puzzled that she can’t quite seem to see it clearly. But it looks like a small building, not like any kind of ship she knows. “You traveled here in that? You and Rip?”
Mary’s started toward Mick and the others, but she turns back. “Oh, don’t worry about me, captain.” She winks. “It’s bigger on the inside.”
Leonard makes a strangled noise as she walks away, and Ava gulps. Sara glances at her in surprise, seeing the strangest expression on her ex’s face.
“If she asks me to travel with her,” Ava tell her fervently, “I’m going.”
What? Sara frowns at her. “You’re not usually into older women,” she says in puzzlement. “And travel?”
Leonard makes a sound of disbelief, then, and both he and Ava stare at Sara for a long moment, then look at each other with identical expressions of surprise.
Then Leonard, unexpectedly, laughs.
“Sara Lance’s type,” he mutters, smirking at Ava. “Badasses who are closet geeks.”
Sara’s not sure how Ava will take that, but the bureau director smiles a little. “You might have a point there,” she murmurs, glancing at Sara, who smiles back. They’re all right, then.
“Of course he does, love.” They all look around as John Constantine, accompanied by Gary, joins them. The warlock winks at them. “Geeks are the best. They have the most magnificent imaginations.”
Gary looks simultaneously delighted and ready to spontaneously combust, but John’s moving on. “I’m wondering if handsome here’s tricks with the time energy might have had any repercussions elsewhere, rattled any cages,” he says seriously, looking at Leonard. “Gonna head off for a bit and check it out.” He jerks his thumb at the scarlet Time Bureau agent and switches his gaze to Ava. “Can I borrow this one?”
Ava glances at Gary, then evidently decides the other agent does indeed want to be “borrowed.” She assents, and John gives them all a mock salute before turning on his heel and heading off, Gary trailing in his wake. Sara shakes her head.
“He’ll be back,” she says to Leonard. “He’d never say it, but I think John likes being a part of something.”
“Yes…” But Ava sounds a little uncertain and Sara raises her eyebrows. The bureau director sighs.
“I think I might have unintentionally poached a few of your team members,” she admits. “Again.”
Sara considers. “Nate?”
“He’s a historian, and the Oculus lets him study time in a whole new way. And Dr. Palmer is fascinated with the mechanism,” Ava tells her. “He’s already broached the subject of staying on and improving it.”
“And if Ray stays, Nora will stay,” Sara murmurs. Three more Legends gone, including an original. She glances at Leonard but decides not to ask…not yet.
“I didn’t mean to,” Ava tells her. “But…”
“But they’re grownups and this is the chance of a lifetime.” Sara smiles at her. “And now, I’m going to go tell Gideon that Rip’s back. I figure she should hear that from a friend.”
“Oh, god, yes.”
Leonard clears his throat. “I’d sorta like to see this viewing chamber myself,” he says diffidently. “Maybe I can persuade the Time Force to be a little less…recalcitrant.”
Ava gives him a slightly skeptical look but nods.
“All right,” she agrees. “Let me show you where it is.”
Sara watches those two pieces of her own personal history walk away, to all appearances getting along better than she’d ever dreamed, and turns back toward her ship, a smile on her lips.
*
Gideon’s reaction is…human. Very human. Sara, having delivered her news, watches the AI/android go from disbelief to skepticism to hope before she sets off to find her former captain, a woman on a mission.
Someone probably should have warned Rip, too, Sara thinks wryly. Perhaps Leonard will.
But probably not. It’s the least Rip deserves for letting them think he was dead. Sara may not fully be convinced that’s what had really happened, but apparently that’s what they’re pretending.
She’d made another promise earlier, though, and this seems like a good enough time to fulfill it. Sara puts a message through to STAR Labs in 2020 and waits for someone to pick up, wondering how Team Flash will react to the news of a resurrected nemesis.
But it’s not that resurrection that makes her jaw drop when someone finally appears on the viewscreen.
“Martin,” she breathes, hands tightening on the console. “How…”
Stein very clearly doesn’t seem to understand why Sara’s staring at him like she’s seen a ghost. He smiles at her, the lines at the corners of his eyes crinkling, looking just the same and very much alive.
Leonard had gotten the Oculus to “change a few things,” he’d said. Sara’s pretty sure, now, that she knows what at least two of them were.
“Captain Lance,” Stein says. “How good to hear from you! It’s been a while.” He pauses, then, taking in her expression. “Whatever is the matter?”
Sara closes her mouth abruptly. “Nothing,” she says, perhaps a bit hastily. “I just…I didn’t know you were there. At STAR Labs.”
Stein still eyes her as if wondering what’s going on. “Well, my recovery took a while,” he says slowly, watching her. “I’m not going to be running around pretending to be a space ranger again! Well, probably not. But while I’m enjoying retirement, I need to get out sometimes. Team Flash can use the help, and I’m not getting under Clarissa’s feet.”
Sara seizes on that. “And how is Clarissa?”
Stein beams at her. “Oh, very well. She’s finally talked me into a vacation, did I tell you that last time? The Bahamas. I don’t know what I’m going to do with myself.”
He frowns at that a moment, then continues. “And Lily and little Ronnie are well, too. He went right from walking to running! Jax has already bought him a toddler-sized football.”
Sara laughs. “And Jax? How is he?”
“He’s fine. Very much enjoying college.” Stein leans toward the screen confidentially. “I think there’s a young lady, actually. But I try not to pry. It’s difficult, given how long we knew so much of what the other was thinking.” He pauses, studying her again. “Are you all right?”
“Yes,” Sara tells him. “Yes, I am. Very ‘all right.’” She smiles at him. “Would you pass along a message to Team Flash, especially Cisco?” At his assent, she continues. “Tell them...ask them to track down Lisa Snart.
“And to tell her that her brother, he’s back. Leonard Snart is alive.”
*
When Sara finally walks back outside, Leonard is sitting on the ramp leading into the Waverider, watching the scene in front of him. After a moment, Sara drops down next to him, scanning the view herself.
Ava is in her element, organizing and directing, her map of the Vanishing Point now spread out on a portable table, and she’s pointing out something to Mick, of all people, who doesn’t even look too irritated. Ray and Nate are standing there with them, arguing what seems to be good-naturedly about something. Nora is talking to…is that Mary?
There’s no sign of Zari and Charlie, and Sara makes a mental note of that in her near-constant tally of where her Legends are—though she suspects she knows. The adrenaline of battle can bring out all manner of previously ignored desires. But before she can mention it, Leonard speaks up.
“That gonna be a problem?” he asks, tone thoughtful as he gazes out at the buzz of activity. Sara looks too, but she’s not quite sure what he’s referring to.
“Pardon?”
This time, he points. Sara looks…and smiles a little as she sees where.
“I think you might have lost your ship,” Leonard says, nodding to where Gideon is talking avidly to Rip not so far away. The former captain looks rather befuddled, but neither can he take his eyes off her. And the AI, for her part, has a self-satisfied little smirk on her face.
“Oh, I think it’s fine.” Sara smirks as he lifts an eyebrow at her. “Gideon,” she says with satisfaction, “I’m pretty sure, has plans for Rip.”
Leonard blinks, then looks back at the pair. “Oh,” he says. “Plans.”
“Right. And it’s one thing to be an AI in a ship with a captain who’s your leader and commander...”
“And another to be a humanoid AI with free will who has every intention of jumping that former captain’s bones.” Leonard’s lips twitch. “You go, Gideon.”
“Right. So, I figure the Waverider is probably still the Legends’. Gideon’s one of us, after all, and Rip says he prefers more freedom at this point. And we can still visit the Vanishing Point and the Bureau...” Sara’s voice trails off.
She glances at Leonard, studying that slightly younger face. It’s not so much different, really. The hair’s a little darker, but apparently, he’d gone silver early anyway. There might be a few fewer lines. Maybe a few fewer scars.
“Is it ‘us?’” she asks abruptly, looking back at the Vanishing Point. “Is it ‘we?’” A beat. “Are you staying, Leonard? Are you part of this team again, for good?”
He’s silent long enough that she looks back, unable to wait any longer. But Leonard Snart, her confident, arrogant crook, is studying her with something uncertain in his eyes.
“As one of the team?” he asks, so quietly she can barely hear him.
What is he…
Then Sara laughs as she realizes what he’s getting at. Her crook isn’t quite as confident as he appears.
“I love you, Snart,” she tells him, wanting, needing, to have the words out there. “I want you to stay. I want you to be lover and teammate and partner. Is that enough?”
Leonard’s expression goes rapidly from caution to stunned silence to satisfaction to…to something Sara can’t quite define. “For now,” he tells her in a low voice, continuing before she can even wonder. “Quite a ship you have, captain. Permission to stay aboard?”
“Permanently?” Sara asks him archly, getting a smirk in return.
“Well,” Leonard drawls, looking thoughtful. “Wouldn’t mind a bit of a break for a bit.” He pauses. “I’d like to meet your sister…and your dad, if you don’t think that’d end in bloodshed.”
Sara stares at him, parsing the words, which just don’t seem to make sense. She’d told him about how Laurel and her father had died, she knows she did, but…
But she’d also talked to Stein and Rip not so long ago.
“How…” she says faintly.
“I don’t know exactly how—or why—the Time Force chose to grant my requests, just that it did.” Leonard’s looking at her out of the corner of his eye. “Shouldn’t be like anything else ever happened now, to them. Don’t know if we’ll remember. Might fade in time.”
“I don’t care. I don’t care! Len…” Sara can’t find the words.
So instead, she just leans over and kisses him. And he kisses her back, there at the Vanishing Point, where they’d kissed the first time, on the day when Sara had thought any hope of “me and you” was lost forever.
After a moment, Leonard breaks the kiss just long enough to mutter, “Sara?”
“Hmmm?”
“Love you, too.”
*
I don't believe in destiny Or the guiding hand of fate I don't believe in forever Or love as a mystical state
I don't believe in the stars or the planets Or angels watching from above But I believe there's a ghost of a chance We can find someone to love And make it last
“Ghost of a Chance,” Rush
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thetranquilteal · 5 years
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An Leabhar Dìlseachd [AO3] by @thetranquilteal
Ch. 1 
Claire Fraser had always known she was a witch. Her affinity for healing hinted at it and her ability to time travel confirmed it. What she didn’t know was that she would come into her full power the day she became a mother. Concerned with how her pregnancy is progressing, she seeks the help of Apothecary Master Raymond in the hope that he will be able to teach her how to utilise her newfound power and protect her family from disaster. A canon-divergent AU told through the pages of the Fraser Grimoire ‘The Book of Faith’.
A/N: @just-a-kid-at-heart - once again this one is for you! Thank you so much to @moghraidhjamie for organising this year’s Secret Santa Fic Exchange and ultimately encouraging me to write more.
Chapter 2: To Guard Against Miscarriage
Red Raspberry Leaves  Vitex Agnus-Castus Berry Powder False Unicorn Root (alt: Wild Yam Root) Amethyst (alt: Moonstone, Malachite, Rose Quartz, Agate, or Ruby) Length of Rope (pref: Green) Baby Blanket Physical Item of Love
Sécurisé dans mon ventre, une graine d'amour. Là pour grandir et s'épanouir jusqu'à sa libération par la nature dans [nombre de] mois. Entouré de sécurité, de santé et de complétude vous resterez jusqu'à ce que ce nœud soit défait.
“No, no, no, no, no,” Claire whispered to herself. “It’s too early.”
The red stain on her undergarment had her heart racing. She was a trained medical professional and she knew that she needed to stay calm. But, by God, she couldn’t control it. And she was starting to panic.
“It’s too early.” This time she said it louder, stronger. She placed her palms on her swollen belly and took slow, deep deliberate breaths in an attempt to lower her heart rate. “It’s too early.” 
Spotting during pregnancy wasn’t unusual and a sensitive cervix could easily be to blame. Perhaps.
Despite resuming their sex life after Jamie’s ordeal at Wentworth and their subsequent time spent at Abbey of Ste. Anne de Beaupré, intercourse remained infrequent and was unlikely the cause. What then? She started running through other alternatives, everything she had ever read, everything she had ever learned or overheard someone else explain to a patient but soon stopped herself. The darker her thoughts the faster she noticed her heart beating in her chest.
She pulled off her undergarment and went to the chest of drawers in search of a replacement. Usually she had help dressing and undressing - something she came to appreciate more and more as her stomach continued to swell - but this she was determined to deal with on her own. There was no need worry anyone, not yet.
Finally redressed, this time with a clean rag nestled between her legs, she slipped on her shoes and made her way down to the dining room. As usual, there was a pot of tea and buttered toast waiting for her on the table.
She contemplated her options as she ate and only grew increasingly frustrated. For longer than she even had even known for certain that she was pregnant she had been having a number of increasingly clear dreams, all featuring the colour blue. Just two nights previously she had dreamed of the soft soul of an unborn infant, her own she had assumed, that was starting to crack. She had traced the line with long feather and sealed it in blue. But what was the point in dreaming of powers that she herself had never possessed? She had too many questions and little way of finding answers. What she really needed was some help.
“Suzette,” Claire called as she placed her empty cup down on its matching saucer.
“Oui, madame?”
“Please organise for the carriage to be ready. I must go to the Rue de Varennes as soon as possible. And if you can find Fergus, send him up to see me, please.”
“Oui, madame,” Suzette curtseyed and left the room quickly.
Despite the length of time she and Jamie had spent at Jared Fraser’s home on Rue Tremoulins here in Paris, Claire didn’t think she would ever get used to people being at her beck and call. Yet, today she was especially thankful for it. Rushing around and organising things was the last thing she ought to be doing yet they needed to be done. Without people like Suzette, Magnus and Fergus in her life… she couldn’t bear to entertain the thought and was grateful that Fergus chose that moment to come through the doorway and into the dining room.
Claire stood and walked to meet him halfway.
“Fergus,” she placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder, finding strength in his stature. “Go to L'Hôpital des Anges and tell Mother Hildegarde that I will not be in attendance today.”
“Oui, Milady,” Fergus stood tall and nodded his head, looking much older than his 9 years of age. “I will go at once.”
Normally his youthful eagerness to complete any task asked of him would make her smile fondly but even he couldn’t bring any joy out of her when she had more pressing things on her mind. She followed him out the door and at such a slower pace he had completely disappeared from view by the time she was walking up to the carriage waiting for her.
The ride to Rue de Varennes was thankfully unimpeded by other traffic and before long she was making her way inside Maître Raymond’s store. Delphine looked up at her from behind the counter and abandoned her work to call to someone out the back.
“Ah, Madonna,” Master Raymond walked out to meet her and take her hand. “I was wondering when you might grace us with your presence here once again. Tell me, how may I assist you?”
“I don’t really know,” Claire admitted and looked around the store to make sure that she, Master Raymond and Delphine were the only ones there. “But I can say that it is of a… délicat matter.”
“I see,” Master Raymond nodded and let go of her hand with a pat. “Follow me.”
Entering the shop’s secret room for the second time was no less fascinating than the first. There were items on shelves and table tops that were either new or she had simply missed earlier, overwhelmed by the amount and variety of stock kept hidden from prying eyes.
Drawn to statue of the Titan goddess, Leto, Claire moved to the shelf and picked it up to admire it from all angles.
“Something is on your mind.”
Claire smiled, unsurprised by Master Raymond’s intuition, and put the statue back down in its original place. “Yes. I have an ailment and I believe my skills as a healer are not adequate for address the problem.”
“Tell me, have you noticed anything else?”
“Anything else?”
“Oiu. Perhaps you have noticed an aversion to a particular food or drink… or there has been a sudden change to your physical status?”
“Well, you might think it foolish of me… but I have been having dreams of late.”
“That does not surprise me, Madonna. Many women who are with child do. The details are of little concern but what themes have you noticed time and time again?”
“The colour blue,” Claire shared without hesitation. “Souls, I think. And me… healing them.”
Master Raymond considered her for a moment and then moved a step closer. “Here, let me see your hands.”
Claire held them out and allowed Master Raymond to study them. She watched with one eyebrow raised as he closed his eyes for moment and nodded.
“It is fausse couche that you fear?”
“Oui,” she confirmed.
“Mmm…” he let go and set about collecting a number of items off shelves and out of bowls.
Claire took a seat on a nearby stool to watch while she waited.
“Are you familiar with the casting of spells?” Master Raymond asked as he climbed a small step ladder to reach something.
“No. I’ve seen it done by others,” she admitted, thinking primarily of Geillis Duncan, “but I have never intentionally cast a spell.”
“It’s simple, really. There are five things you must do. Cast a circle, state your purpose, perform the chosen action, give thanks and, when all of that is done, reopen the circle,” Master Raymond noticed the look of trepidation on her face as he moved back down to solid ground and smiled softly at her. “All you must remember is that intent is the most significant ingredient and love the most powerful of all. One day, with enough practice, you will be able to do this on your own just by simply feeling it. There will be no need for stones, potions or anything of the like. But for now… you will need a little help, Madonna.”
Master Raymond handed her the basket and Claire glanced inside. Small jars of herbs and powders were accompanied by a collection of stones and a length of green rope.
“Rope?”
“Oui, Madonna. You must knot the rope to stall delivery. After the spell has been performed you must keep this knot wrapped up in a baby blanket and keep it in a safe place. When the time comes for your bébé to be born you must untie said knot. Do not forget,” he added pointedly with a slight smile to the corner of his mouth before leading her out to the front counter.
Generous as ever, Master Raymond only let her pay for the stones claiming that the rest were a gift for her and Jamie’s unborn child.
“Thank you,” she said even though the words didn’t really seem to be enough.
Once home, she made sure she was alone on the top floor before gathering some items from around the main room and then locking herself in the bedroom. In what seemed like no time at all she was kneeling on the floor, surrounded by a ring of candles and a feeling she couldn’t quite describe thrumming through her veins.
Studying everything in front of her she had the feeling that something was missing. She double checked the list Master Raymond had provided along with all the items from the store. Red raspberry leaves, vitex agnus-castus berry powder and false unicorn root now combined in a small metal pan. Five stones of assorted shapes and colours surrounding the pan and, of course, the length of green rope. It was all there plus the embroidered baby blanket that she herself had added to the collection when she had returned home. Despite reassuring herself she had everything she needed, the feeling that something was missing remained.
“The most powerful ingredient is love,” she murmured to herself.
Claire stood and walked over to the dresser where the box of silver apostle spoons resided on top of it. She lifted the lid gently and considered its contents. Twelve individual spoons… supposedly for the twelve children they were sure to have - or so Jamie had told her the night he had given her the gift. She smiled at the memory and picked up the silver spoon that sported Saint Andrew on the handle. The Patron Saint of Scotland. She closed the box and returned to her spot on the floor, the apostle spoon still in hand. She placed it down on top of the baby blanket and picked up the already lit candle. In a clockwise motion she turned, using it to light each of the candles that surrounded her.
With her first task now complete she replaced the lit candle at the top of the circle. She picked up the green rope and tied it tightly around the handle of the spoon before reading the incantation out loud.
“Sécurisé dans mon ventre, une graine d'amour. Là pour grandir et s'épanouir jusqu'à sa libération par la nature dans quatre mois. Entouré de sécurité, de santé et de complétude vous resterez jusqu'à ce que ce nœud soit défait.”
Claire glanced down at the spoon still resting on the baby blanket. Nothing was different, nothing had changed. This time she picked up the spoon and cradled it close to her chest with both hands. She closed her eyes and repeated the incantation louder, all the while focusing on the unborn baby inside of her.
“Sécurisé dans mon ventre, une graine d'amour. Là pour grandir et s'épanouir jusqu'à sa libération par la nature dans quatre mois. Entouré de sécurité, de santé et de complétude vous resterez jusqu'à ce que ce nœud soit défait.”
Her hands tingled and she peeked down at them with slight trepidation. Much to her delight a soft blue was glowing in the palm of her hands. It was reflecting off the metal of the spoon and the green rope tied around it was now tinged a shade of teal. She smiled and closed her eyes before repeating the incantation once more.
“Sécurisé dans mon ventre, une graine d'amour. Là pour grandir et s'épanouir jusqu'à sa libération par la nature dans quatre mois. Entouré de sécurité, de santé et de complétude vous resterez jusqu'à ce que ce nœud soit défait.”
Now content, Claire placed the spoon back down and picked up the piece of parchment. She held it against the flame of the one of the candles long enough for it to catch alight and then dropped it into the metal pan. Smoke curled up as the botanical ingredients burned along with the words and she found herself unable to look away from the glow until it had fully dissipated.
Without waiting for the smoke to clear, Claire wrapped the spoon up tightly in the blanket and then used her thumb and forefinger of her right hand to extinguish all of the candles one by one. Holding the bundle carefully, she stood and walked over to the small cupboard by the bed. She crouched down as best she could and tucked it away in the back corner, confident that no one would find it there not even by mistake.
—–
Claire’s back ached and no matter which way she turned she couldn’t get comfortable.    
She was eight months pregnant and she was grateful for every single day their baby remained safe inside her, she was. She knew it was best for not only her but also Jamie and their unborn baby to stay in bed for a few more weeks but she felt like she was going to lose her mind.  
The stress of Jamie being arrested for duelling Black Jack Randall had caused her to lose so much blood that she had been confined to L'Hôpital for a number of days. Knowledge of her situation had evidently spread as Master Raymond, himself, had visited her during her stay   . Initially he had been pleased, assuring her that the spell was holding strong and she needn’t worry about the baby, but then had moved on to assess the rest of her and adamantly insisted that she take better care of herself.
She adjusted her pillow and turned on to her other side. She let out a frustrated sigh when she found that to be even worse than her previous position.  
Ever since being ordered by Mother Hildegarde almost three months ago to convalesce at home until the time came for her to give birth, she found it hard to sleep at night. More often than not she would lay awake thinking about Jamie locked up in the Bastille Saint-Antoine and in the early hours of the morning when she finally fell asleep she would dream of his death, herself forced to watch with her hands bound in black rope. While Jamie would suffer a different form of capital punishment each time she was always guaranteed to wake up sweaty and with her heart racing.  
To make matters worse, she often felt like she was dreaming during daylight hours.    
Despite Mother Hildegarde’s warning that the King would expect some sort of payment in exchange for Jamie’s freedom she hadn’t hesitated. She knew that pregnant women were protected by the crown, even to the point of pardoning any woman previously sentenced to death who proved she was with child while on death row, and had prayed to whatever God that might be listening that the King himself would not expect a heavily pregnant woman to service him. What she hadn’t expected was to find herself judging the fate of not only Master Raymond but the Comte St Germain, too.  
Since then, memories from that day would play through her mind on random occasions, often prompted by the smell of incense or the sound bells tolling in the street. She couldn’t help but wonder what had become of Master Raymond and she prayed for forgiveness for what she had inadvertently done to the Comte.  
Still, it meant Jamie being released and she would do it all again if it meant they could be together. All three of them.  
Her thoughts were interrupted by a soft knock on the door followed by a muffled “Madame?”  
Intrigued by the excited tone of the voice she recognised as Suzette’s, Claire climbed out of bed and pulled on her robe as she walked to open the door.  
“Yes?”  
“You must come, Madame.”  
“Wait, Suzette. Come? Where?”  
“Downstairs,” Suzette grabbed her hand and held it in both of her own. “Everyone is so pleased.”  
Still perplexed by what was happening, she tiredly followed Suzette all the while holding in the yawn that threatened to escape. She held on tightly to the railing as they made their way down. It was dark with only candles lit here in there to guide them but she could see and somehow feel the glow coming from below. As they reached the landing Suzette bobbed to curtsey someone in front of her and promptly walked away.  
Claire stopped and so too did her heart. There waiting for her was Jamie, looking up at her with shadowed eyes somewhat hidden by the long curls falling around his face. His clothes were the same as he had worn the last time she had seen him except now they were torn and faded in places. All of this accompanied by the long beard that had grown during his time at the Bastille he looked like a completely different person. And somehow exactly the same.  
“Claire.”    
His voice was raspy, as though he had been ill or perhaps even crying recently but it was the best sound she had ever heard. She pulled up the skirt of her robe and rushed forward only to be reminded of her large stomach as she flung her arms around him and pulled him into a crushing embrace.  
“Claire,” he said again and this time she was certain he was crying. He raised his arms and embraced her back far more gently than she had him. After a time he released his grip and she pulled back to watch him bend down to place his hands on her stomach. “The bairn?”  
“Safe,” she replied. With anyone else her answer might have seemed rather out of place, most likely expected her to use a word like ‘healthy’ or perhaps even ‘growing’ but she knew that Jamie would understand her meaning. “My nose, however… is not. You stink to high heavens and are in desperate need of a bath.”  
Jamie laughed and wiped his eyes. “Aye, Sassenach. That I am.”    
Suzette was correct that everyone in the house was pleased by Jamie’s return. They set about preparing a warm tub and fresh clothes for him in the bedroom while Jamie tried to insist that she return to bed while he bathed but soon realised that it was going to be a battle he was never going to win. She suspected he might not have wanted to, either - he didn’t even hesitate to lean forward when she moved to scrub his back gently with a cloth. She bent down and followed the cloth with soft kisses to the back of his neck. Goosebumps rose and she smiled to herself.  
“I can hear ye smiling from here, Sassenach.”  
“I was wondering if you could still do that.”  
“Do what?” Jamie turned his head to look back at her and she pulled back slightly so that he wouldn’t have to crane his neck so much.    
“Know everything about me, without sight nor sound.” This time she kissed him on the lips long and slow, as if attempting to make up for all the time they’d spent apart. Eventually she pulled back and ran the palm of her hand down the side of his still furry jaw line. “Let’s get rid of this shall we? I want to be able to kiss you and not be prickled all over.”  
“All over?” Jamie smirked at her. Both his words and his expression were half-hearted but she couldn’t have cared less, simply happy that his natural forever-youthful state was starting to reappear. She slapped him on the shoulder playfully with the cloth before dropping it into his lap.    
“Only if you’re lucky,” she teased and went to over to gather the razor and soap.
She could remember shaving Frank’s face for him, once upon a time in her previous life. She had always felt it was an intimate act, trusting someone else to do it and she had been so proud of the fact that he would ask such a thing of her. But shaving away the remnants of Jamie’s beard, of his time in confinement, she found it to be even more intimate than any other. Jamie’s physical body not only relaxed and surrendered itself to her hands but his soul was hers to hold as well.    
It was late by the time they climbed into bed and they laid in silence for a time simply enjoying each others presence.    
“How long?” She finally asked.    
“Two weeks.”  
Claire nodded and pulled his arm tighter around her middle. She had know all along that his return was only temporary. The King would never allow for a convicted Scottish criminal to not only be pardoned but remain living on crown land. She also knew that Jamie would have a plan. “What are we going to do? I don’t think I can go anywhere right now.”  
“Nay,” Jamie confirmed. “Fergus and I will set sail for Scotland at the end of the week. We will make our way to Lallybroch and send word when we have arrived and preparations have been made for you and the bairn.”  
“I’ve only just gotten you back,” she pouted and Jamie kissed her lips with a chuckle.    
“I dinna wish to part from ye either, Sassenach, but ken that I also willna leave ye alone. Murtagh has agreed to remain here with ye and then escort ye home to Lallybroch once you and the bairn are well enough to make the journey. But dinna fash,” Jamie slid his hand down over her hip and grabbed a hold of her buttock, “for I’m here now.”  
“Yes, you are,” she agreed and leaned up to kiss him properly.  
As tired as both of them were, their affections remained chaste and before long the two of them had fallen asleep in each other’s arms with their unborn baby nestled between them.  
—–
Every day for the past week she had considered untying the knot around the apostle spoon and each time she walked past the cupboard in which it resided the idea had only become more tempting.    
That morning when she couldn’t even keep her breakfast down she had finally given in and untied the rope.    
She was well aware that still being pregnant was a miracle, one that may never have come to fruition had she not performed the spell.  But now she was nine months pregnant and increasingly desperate to not only give birth but also be reunited with Jamie. She couldn’t deny she was being selfish but her back hurt, her abdomen felt stretched to the limit, contractions seemed to be increasing at a horrendously low rate and all she wanted was to receive some affection. Preferably from her husband - the man very much responsible for her current predicament - but at this point she thought she might accept it from anyone. Or perhaps no one.  
For hours she had been walking around the house in an attempt to not only encourage active labour but also keep her somewhat distracted, hoping to prevent her from dwelling on what was to come. A sudden pain had her bending over and gasping for air.  
“Milady?”    
Claire reached out and gripped onto Magnus, suddenly thankful that the house was always teeming with people. She looked down and saw drops of red blood on the floor boards. She pulled up her skirt and found more soaked into the leg of her stocking.  
“Milady? Should I call la sage-femme - the midwife?”    
“L'Hôpital, Mother Hildegarde,” she gasped out and fell to the floor relying on Magnus to help her. 
—– 
Claire started to wake. Her hands moved down to cradle her belly but instead of taught rounded skin she only found a soft, flabby surface. Her heart started racing as flashes of the past few days came to mind. Arriving at L'Hôpital des Anges. Laying on the table and staring at the ceiling while people bustled around her. Someone - a man - barking orders. Fever. Dreams. A blue herring. She pushed away the sheet that covered her and moved to sit up.    
“Where’s my baby?” Claire turned to find Mother Hildegarde standing over her with a hand on her arm. “Where is my baby?”    
“Madame, do not trouble yourself. You must save your strength,” Mother Hildegarde replied and offered her some water. She barely resisted knocking it away.    
“I don’t want any water. I want my baby. Bring me my baby. I want my baby!”  
“Shh. Madame, Claire. It’s all right. Here she is.”  
Panting, Claire followed Mother Hildegarde’s gaze to find one of the nuns walking towards them with a wrapped up cotton blanket.  
“Oh!” The bundle was placed in arms and she relaxed, quite simply stunned by what she saw. She was holding a little girl with a head full of beautiful copper hair and, while her eyes were closed, she could tell they were slanted a bit like Jamie’s. She pulled back the blanket to count all ten fingers and ten toes, just to double check. The fresh air caused the baby to fuss and so she replaced the blanket and bounced her arms gently in an attempt to calm her. “Shh…”  
“I baptised her. And gave her a name. Faith. You must understand, I worried that you… “ Mother Hildegarde started to explain and Claire nodded. She was far more taken by the infant in her arms than worrying about names. “Ta petite fille est parfaite, Claire. She is perfect.”  
Claire couldn’t take her eyes off of her, not even to thank the Mother or even as tears began to blur her sight. She ran the back of her finger down Faith’s warm cheek and smiled.  
“You are so beautiful, Faith” she whispered, her daughter’s name rolling off her tongue as if she had been saying it all of her life.    
“Aye,” Murtagh said gruffly as he came to join them. “And yer father canna wait to meet ye.” 
End Note: “Secured in my womb, a seed of love. There to grow and blossom until released by nature [number of months] hence. Surrounded by safety, health, and wholeness you shall remain until this knot is undone” (incantation courtesy of google - original source unknown).
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wazafam · 3 years
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It’s now been close to eight years since the internet blew up after the finale of Breaking Bad, and in that time there has been a spin-off and even a follow-up Netflix original movie. The writers have gotten tons of mileage out of these characters, and rightly so, as they all have so much depth.
RELATED: Breaking Bad: 10 Times Someone Was Killed In Broad Daylight
Even the characters who have only appeared in a couple of episodes are memorable, and that’s in part thanks to the actors who portray them. However, just as the show would look a lot different if it was made in the UK, a Hollywood movie of the award-winning TV show could be just as exciting as the series.
10 Gomez - Michael Peña
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It’d be easy to mistake Michael Peña for being a comedy actor because he's most famous for his hilarious performance as Luis in the Ant-Man. However, that’s just a bonus, as his performances in the Academy Award-winning Crash and the cop drama End of Watch have shown how capable he is as a dramatic actor. The role of Gomez (Steven Michael Quezada), Hank’s partner, would be perfect for Peña, as Gomez perfectly strikes that balance between dramatic and comedic.
9 Mike - Robert De Niro
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Robert De Niro has played a mobster countless times. In fact, his character in The Irishman, a former hitman who regretfully looks back on the mistakes of his life now he’s lost his entire family, has a very similar arc to Mike. And though the roles are so similar, as Mike is one of the most loyal characters of the series, just like Frank Sheeran is to Jimmy Hoffa. De Niro could make the role his own more than anybody.
8 Saul Goodman - Eddie Murphy
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What Bob Odenkirk did with Saul Goodman was unbelievable, as he became the MVP of the whole show and even stole the scene from Bryan Cranston at some points. A character that seemed more from the world of Malcolm in the Middle when he first appeared evolved into the most three-dimensional character in the series.
RELATED: 10 Questionable Parenting Choices In Breaking Bad
And there are few actors who can blur the lines between outright comedy and drama, but given his triumphant return in Dolemite Is My Name, Eddie Murphy would give an incredible portrayal of the criminal lawyer. And though Breaking Bad had the perfect ending, it was followed by Better Call Saul, and if that was a movie, Murphy would kill it.
7 Marie - Stephanie Kurtzuba
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Being another star of The Irishman, Stephanie Kurtzuba has had a lot of success with Martin Scorsese, as she also starred in The Wolf of Wall Street as Kimmie Belzer. And everything the actress has been in between those two movies has proven how much of a slept-on actress she is in Hollywood.
Kurtzuba has shown that she has the emotional chops, and given how hilarious Marie (Betsy Brandt) can be in the show, whether it’s being overprotective of Hank or criticizing him for collecting minerals, Kurtzuba can capture that perfectly.
6 Todd - Ansel Elgort
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Despite being a star and having leading roles in movies like Baby Driver, Divergent, and The Fault in Our Stars, audiences still haven’t seen too much of a range from Ansel Elgort.
However, his past roles have been largely subdued, as the characters he plays don’t generally like to show their emotions, which is similar to the psychopath Todd (Jesse Plemons.) And given that Elgort is leading the Steven Spielberg remake of West Side Story, a movie where the failure or success is based almost purely on the performances, it’s likely that the young actor can pull anything off.
5 Gustavo Fring - Don Cheadle
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Being the owner of Los Pollos Hermanos, the fast-food joint fronting for a crystal meth empire, Gustavo Fring was brought to terrifying life by Giancarlo Esposito. Esposito is a hugely influential presence in everything he's in, though Fring is arguably his best character.
Don Cheadle could make the character just as iconic on the big screen, and though he doesn’t generally get much screentime as War Machine in the MCU, he is an Academy Award-nominated actor for his role in Hotel Rwanda. Cheadle finally gets to be a bad guy in the upcoming Space Jam sequel, but as of now, audiences haven't seen him in a truly antagonistic role.
4 Hank - Laurence Fishburne
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Laurance Fishburne can play absolutely anybody. He has gone from playing a child in the Vietnam War in Apocalypse Now, an evil gangster in King of New York, and the leader of an uprising against machines in The Matrix.
RELATED: Breaking Bad: The 10 Most Tragic Things About Jesse Pinkman
And though the talented actor settled into his role of Dr. Raymond Langston in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, he has never fully fleshed out a detective-type role on the big screen. And considering how Hank (Dean Norris) has the most intense scenes in the show, Fishburne would ace it, as he has such a commanding presence, just like Norris.
3 Skyler - Amy Adams
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Skyler (Anna Gunn) got a bad rep among fans of the show, despite her husband committing much more heinous actions than she could even dream of.
But if there’s any actress who could win fans over to her side, it’s Amy Adams. Whether it’s in The Master or American Hustle, Adams has some kind of gravitational pull when it comes to the audience. And even in her movies that aren’t as beloved, such as Man of Steel, she's always a strength.
2 Jesse - Evan Peters
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Whether or not audiences will ever see Evan Peters as Quicksilver again is up in the air, and though the actor’s filmography would be a little light if it wasn’t for the X-Men movies and American Horror Story, the actor has shown how much fun he can have in character.
Aaron Paul pulled off Jesse so well by giving off that charming, comic relief vibe, as he put so much effort into every variation of yelling “b**ch.” Peters could capture that same energy that Paul perfected in the series.
1 Walter - Brad Pitt
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On the face of it, it might be a little jarring to imagine Brad Pitt as a struggling high-school teacher, but he has actually played average joes before, most recently in The Big Short and Moneyball. And though even to this day he’s in great shape, it’s easy to forget how old the actor is. He could master the role of a down-on-his-luck teacher turning 50. And at the same time, Pitt can play an evil, demanding, selfish antagonist too, just like Heisenberg.
NEXT: Breaking Bad: 10 Scenes That Live Rent-Free In Every Fan's Head
Casting Breaking Bad If It Was A Hollywood Movie Today from https://ift.tt/3t7QJYZ
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scribbleanalysis · 4 years
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François Bernouard sits next to the radio producer and composer Ernst Schoen. Here is something Bernouard did on the radio: a dialogue between him and Jean Le Louët on the group LES AMIS de 1914 and Théâtre Impossible, broadcast on Wednesday 1st of August 1934 for P.T.T.
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On the transcript LES AMIS de 1914 are listed as a vast new diagram as:  Paul Fort. André Salmon. André Lebey. André Varnod. Mr. Richard. Jacques Dyssord. Sometimes Bernouard. Deville. C. Fegdal. G. Duhamel. Valensi. Ernest Gaubert. Antoine Orliac, X. de Magallon. P. Corpus, JL Vaudoyer. Luc Durtain. Pierre de Guingand. AF Hérold. Th. Briant, Ch. Du Bos. F. Carco. Dr. Mardrus J. Royère. P. Bertin. A. Germain. Dr. EF Julia. René Lalou. Louis Suë. A. Lhote. D. Halévy. Mrs. and Dr. Béliard. Gabriel Boissy. J. Villon. A. Bonnard. Ed. Jaloux. André David. René Fauchois. H. Strentz. Jehan Bouvelet. René Bertrand. Asselin. Max Jacob. Jean Giraudoux. Dr. Vinchon. Emile. Fabre. Master Dernis. Arnould Galopin. Léandre Vaillat. Ch. Chassé. Mr. Rouff. Jean de Pierrefeu. Dorgelès. Pol-Neveux. Paul Leon. Mr. Bedel. Tristan Bernard. R. Groos. Van Melle. F. Lot. Maurice Ravel. E. Marsan. P. Brulat. J. Daragnès. Etienne Rey. Faure-Biguet. E. Champion. Mr. Chadourne. Florian-Parnnentier. Carlo Rim. F. Fosca. F. Crommelynck. Fernand Divoire. Krettly. Michel de Gramont. Louis Mandin. Paul Chack. Mario Meunier. Dear. Megglé. J. and J. Tharaud. Alphonse Séché. Valmy-Baysse. Louis Gillet. R. Chambe. Léon Vérane. Carlègle. Gerarl Bauër. Lemercier. Robert Bonfils. L. de Gonzague-Frick. Pierre; The guard. Fagus. Guy Lavaud. Othon Friesz. E. Montfort. R. Gillouin. Tzanck. André Arnyvelde. Gonon. Ed. Dujardin. Valéry Larbaud. A. Rivaud. Jean Prévost. R. Kerdyk. Fernand Fleuret. G. Fréjaville. H. Falck. J. Mortane. Lugné-Poë. R. Le Masle. Mr. Chevrier. Lantern. G. Kahn. G. de Lautrec. LP Fargue. Legrand-Chabrier. JE Blanche. F. Gregh. Paul Poiret. Martial Piéchaud. Gino Severini. J. Cocteau. A. Fontainas. Lucien Fabre. G. Le Rouge. Henri Duvernois. André Maurois. GL Garnier. Ramey. André Billy. Roger Dévigne. Guy Mazeline. J. Barois. Henri Massis. Léon Bailby. E. Bourcier. Georges Denis. Denis d'Inès. Jean Hervé. CR Martin. Ph. Besnard. of Chauveron. Latapia. Rosny elder. Curnonski. P. Descaves. Levesque. J. Joyce. Marcel Jouhandeau. Albert Bayet. V Brechignac. Jean Marchand. F. Casadesus. R. Fellowes. Rachilde. Mr. Laurencin. Colette. J. Sully. M. Harkavy, Y. Gall. Hermine David. Suzanne Valadon. Eve Francis. Colonna-Romano. A. and S. Bernouard. L. Noblet. Yvette Guilbert. Suzanne Desprès. Alice Dufrène. Marcelle Brou. Aldona. Chériane .: G. Rabette. Berthe Bovy. Jane Bathori. Jeanne Landre. Annie Ducaux. Gisèle Casadesus. Vera Korene. Titayna. Dussane. R. Berendt. Garcia. Jean Hervé. CR Martin. Ph. Besnard. of Chauveron. Latapia. Rosny elder. Curnonski. P. Descaves. Levesque. J. Joyce. Marcel Jouhandeau. Albert Bayet. V Brechignac. Jean Marchand. F. Casadesus. R. Fellowes. Rachilde. Mr. Laurencin. Colette. J. Sully. M. Harkavy, Y. Gall. Hermine David. Suzanne Valadon. Eve Francis. Colonna-Romano. A. and S. Bernouard. L. Noblet. Yvette Guilbert. Suzanne Desprès. Alice Dufrène. Marcelle Brou. Aldona. Chériane .: G. Rabette. Berthe Bovy. Jane Bathori. Jeanne Landre. Annie Ducaux. Gisèle Casadesus. Vera Korene. Titayna. Dussane. R. Berendt. Garcia. Jean Hervé. CR Martin. Ph. Besnard. of Chauveron. Latapia. Rosny elder. Curnonski. P. Descaves. Levesque. J. Joyce. Marcel Jouhandeau. Albert Bayet. V Brechignac. Jean Marchand. F. Casadesus. R. Fellowes. Rachilde. Mr. Laurencin. Colette. J. Sully. M. Harkavy, Y. Gall. Hermine David. Suzanne Valadon. Eve Francis. Colonna-Romano. A. and S. Bernouard. L. Noblet. Yvette Guilbert. Suzanne Desprès. Alice Dufrène. Marcelle Brou. Aldona. Chériane .: G. Rabette. Berthe Bovy. Jane Bathori. Jeanne Landre. Annie Ducaux. Gisèle Casadesus. Vera Korene. Titayna. Dussane. R. Berendt. Garcia. Hermine David. Suzanne Valadon. Eve Francis. Colonna-Romano. A. and S. Bernouard. L. Noblet. Yvette Guilbert. Suzanne Desprès. Alice Dufrène. Marcelle Brou. Aldona. Chériane .: G. Rabette. Berthe Bovy. Jane Bathori. Jeanne Landre. Annie Ducaux. Gisèle Casadesus. Vera Korene. Titayna. Dussane. R. Berendt. Garcia. Hermine David. Suzanne Valadon. Eve Francis. Colonna-Romano. A. and S. Bernouard. L. Noblet. Yvette Guilbert. Suzanne Desprès. Alice Dufrène. Marcelle Brou. Aldona. Chériane .: G. Rabette. Berthe Bovy. Jane Bathori. Jeanne Landre. Annie Ducaux. Gisèle Casadesus. Vera Korene. Titayna. Dussane. R. Berendt. Garcia. The address is given: 224 Boulevard Raspail
In the dialogue François Bernouard says that the LES AMIS de 1914 were born of out of necessity, for writers but also architects, painters, sculptors, musicians to defend lyricism in the aftermath of war: “The war and its multiple consequences had separated us. Each one like you, worked isolated, we knew each other only by our writings and certain old comrades had not seen each other for twenty years. Here are some reasons for the continued success of our evenings”
The first meeting took place on 17 February 1933. “The invitation was issued on behalf of Paul Fort, Prince des Poëtes, André Salmon, Jacques Dyssord, André Warnod, André Lebey, and me. It was a wonderful evening, despite the freezing cold; more than 600 artists and art lovers came, the elite of Paris”. On night Paul Fort declared: “Retrouvons-nous chaque vendredi et soyons les inséparables de 1914, nos cadets seront reçus comme nos enfants”
For those who survived the war, LES AMIS de 1914 was to be a place to meet to discuss art with the peaceful spirit (l'esprit pacifique) of the days which preceded the catastrophe of 1914
But they were too sensitive to those no longer present: “Our friendship should remember the dead, either before, during or after the war, and try to redress a little the injustice of fate towards those who will remain in the eternal time of the young. I cannot cite them all. These were the memories of Guillaume Apollinaire, Henri Bouvelet, Emile Despax, the Englishman Rupert Brooke, Fagus, Jehan Rictus, Charles Derennes, Joachim Gasquet, Paul Drouot, Alfred Jarry, Jean Jareas, Jean Moreas, Paul Napoleon Roinard, René Dalize, Raymond Radiguet, Jean Le Roy, Stuart Merrill, Charles de Fontenay, Jean de la Ville de Mirmont, Sanche de Gramont, Robert d'Humières, Amédée Prouvost, John-Antoine Nau, Odilon-Jean Périer, Auguste Angellier, Adrien Bertrand, André Dupont, Albert Samain, Gabriel-Tristan Franconi, Ricciotto Canudo who, born Italian, chooses the French language to express himself, all writers of first quality. The present is often unfair to them, but posterity will do them justice”
Questions of generation also come up; alongside the slippage of the category of ‘friendship’ into something militaristic (just as from German “comrade” can slip from Genossen to Kamerad and Freund/in can denote both a platonic and a non-platonic relationship)
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mibasiamille · 7 years
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Aside from Claire and Jamie, which relationships do you like in the books? Romantic or non romantic
At first glance, I thought you meant in books other than Outlander and I was like “oh no, now I have to remember every book I’ve ever read”, which I tried to do, and I realize that this is the first series of books I’ve ever read that’s for adults. Kinda sad to think about as I am almost nineteen…
 But anyway, thanks for such a great question, anon! 
In Outlander, I really like the relationship between Claire and Geillis. Although Claire is skeptical of her from time to time, their girly bond is wonderful to read about. Plus I have a soft spot for Geillis (especially in the show; Lotte Verbeek does a really great job portraying her character).
In Dragonfly in Amber, I love Mary and Claire’s relationship. I see Claire kind of like Mary’s mentor in a way, and it makes me really happy. I also love the Mary x Alex romantic subplot, too. Although Alex is a Randall, I wish he could’ve lived and he that he could’ve made Mary happy.
Also in Dragonfly, I really love the Bonnie Prince Charlie x Jamie relationship. I feel like he has a total crush on him and it’s hilarious. Cheré James. (Never forget the ghostly voice coming from the roof: Jaaaaaaaames!)
Here’s a compiled list of all of my relationships, sort-of ranked, based on all that I’ve read so far (Outlander to Ch. 27 of Voyager):
1. Claire x Jamie: duh
2. Murtagh x Jamie: I cannot articulate into words how much their relationship means to me. It hurt me when Murtagh didn’t survive Culloden. He was like Jamie’s guardian angel, and I guess still is in a way. Also, he was the biggest Claire x Jamie shipper there was and there is no way you can convince me otherwise.
3. Fergus x Claire x Jamie: I love the dynamic between the three of them, more so in the show than in the book, but nevertheless I love their bond as a trio. I think it comes more to fruition in Voyager, but I will always have a soft spot for baby Fergus. 
4. Roger x Claire: I really fucking love Roger, guys. Like… so much. And I truly enjoy reading about Claire from his perspective, because most of Voyager is either from Claire’s POV or Jamie thinking about how great Claire is. I just love how he describes her.
“It was Roger who found her in the morning, curled up on the study sofa under the hearthrug, papers scattered carelessly over the floor where they had spilled from one of the folders.The light from the floor-length windows streamed in, flooding the study, but the high back of the sofa had shaded Claire’s face and prevented the dawn from waking her. The light was just now pouring over the curve of dusty velvet to flicker among the strands of her hair.A glass face in more ways than one, Roger thought, looking at her. Her skin was so fair that the blue veins showed through at temple and throat, and the sharp, clear bones were so close beneath that she might have been carved of ivory.The rug had slipped half off, exposing her shoulders. One arm lay relaxed across her chest, trapping a single, crumpled sheet of paper against her body. Roger lifted her arm carefully, to pull the paper loose without waking her. She was limp with sleep, her flesh surprisingly warm and smooth in his grasp.His eyes found the name at once; he had known she must have found it.“James MacKenzie Fraser,” he murmured. He looked up from the paper to the sleeping woman on the sofa. The light had just touched the curve of her ear; she stirred briefly and turned her head, then her face lapsed back into somnolence.“I don’t know who you were, mate,” he whispered to the unseen Scot, “but you must have been something, to deserve her. 
5. Frank x Claire (pre-stones): I really love the first couple of chapters of Outlander. I re-read them a little bit ago between chapters of Dragonfly where I couldn’t stand to read what was going on, and the whole experience was super bitter-sweet. They were so adorable together before, and the way their relationship changes later on makes the first chapters even more sad.
5. Ian x Jamie: there’s a quote from Dragonfly that made me cry after reading it. I don’t know why, but it did. I’ll leave it here, and that will describe in its entirety why I love their friendship:
“He’s only a year older than me. When I was growing, he was always there. Until I was fourteen, there wasna a day went by when I didna see Ian. And even later, after I’d gone to foster wi’ Dougal, and to Leoch, and then later still to Paris, to university–when I’d come back, I’d walk round a corner and there he would be, and it would be like I’d never left. He’d just smile when he saw me, like he always did, and then we’d be walkin’ away together, side by side, ower the fields and the streams, talkin’ of everything.” He sighed deeply, and rubbed a hand through his hair.     “Ian … he’s the part of me that belongs here, that never left,” he said, struggling to explain. “I thought … I must tell him; I didna want to feel … apart. From Ian. From here.”
6. Jenny x Jamie: Damn those stubborn Frasers. I love their sibling bond, it’s so great. 
7. Brianna x Roger: The early stages of their budding romance makes me smile, they’re so cute together. (Although his infatuation with Claire makes this relationship seem a bit weird to me, but it’s fine.)
8. Master Raymond x Claire: All the scenes in Dragonfly with Master Raymond are hands down my favorite (hence why I added one in my own fanfic). The healing scene is probably my favorite in all of DiA. Plus, their auras are blue, and so is mine (!!!), so that makes me feel connected to them somehow.
9. God x Claire: Ok, so hear me out for this last one.There are two different times Claire talks to God in the series so far: the first is in the Abbey in France, and the second is the chapel in Boston. Both times, she is thinking about Jamie and faith and how all of that ties together. The time she spends with Anslem in Outlander is my favorite in the whole book. I had to include this as a relationship in this list because it really had a lasting effect on me. Plus, I feel it ties in with some themes of the series so far: faith and mercy (applicable to all of the books, but mostly Dragonfly).
“At last, as usually happened here, I ceased to think. Whether it was the stoppage of time in the presence of eternity, or only the overtaking of a bone-deep fatigue, I didn’t know. But the guilt over Frank eased, the wrenching grief for Jamie lessened, and even the constant tug of motherhood upon my emotions receded to the level of background noise, no louder than the slow beating of my own heart, regular and comforting in the dark peace of the chapel.     “O Lord,” I whispered, “I commend to Your mercy the soul of Your servant James.” And mine, I added silently. And mine.”
Of course, there are more, but these are the only ones I can really think of right now. What relationships are your favorites? Share your thoughts! ✨
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flabbergabst · 7 years
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Captain Canary Series: Against the Wind (11/12)
Amazing illustration as usual for this Chapter is drawn by @audiovizualna​ and it could be viewed HERE or click http://audiovizualna.tumblr.com/image/157649416029
Check it out to be able to visualize a scene in the story!
Story is also available in AO3 + precious chapters’ links available below:
Ch 1     Ch 2     Ch 3     Ch 4      Ch 5
Ch 6     Ch 7     Ch 8     Ch 9     Ch 10
Chapter 11: Melting Snowdrifts
*Third Person POV
The jumpship is floating amidst the Temporal Zone with its current pilot not knowing where to land and where to go. Inside, from the control seat, Leonard unbuckles his seatbelt and leans his elbows on his knees, hands clutched together and up to his forehead.
“Daddy?”
He looked up only to see the watery blue eyes of his little girl. “When is mommy coming?”
Leonard ignored her question and faced the console. “Gideon,” he sharply said, “what is happening in the battlefield?”
Almost immediately, the AI answered: “I only have the view of the Waverider, Mr. Snart, and from the moment the jumpship took off, the ship’s surveillance cameras have recorded some of the heroes go inside the warehouse after disabling all the men attacking the ship. Ms. Snow was forced to use her powers when men entered the ship. I could detect fighting continuing from the inside of the warehouse. Not more than half an hour ago, a futuristic sphere landed, carrying Merlyn, Darhk, and Thawne. All headed towards the warehouse.”
Snart sighed, refusing to think about all the possibilities that could happen with all the heroes stuck inside a warehouse with the Legion and their remaining men. “Where’s Sara? Can you connect me to her comms?”
“I’m afraid I can’t, Mr. Snart,” Gideon replied. “It would appear that Mrs. Snart’s comms have been knocked out of her when she was in the middle of the ambush.”
Leonard almost slammed his hands on the console when the AI immediately added—“but I can hear Captain Rory talk to Mrs. Snart from his comms. I believe that they’re together.”
Luke stood up from his seat and went over to his father to hold his hand. As young as he is, he understood how difficult this situation is. He understood his father. And neither of them have the heart to tell little Lily that their mom won’t come to them anytime soon.
The kid then remembered what his father used to tell him all the time: “Be a big boy. Think smart. Protect the family.”
“Gideon?” Luke softly spoke. “Is there a chance we could fly the jumpship back to the Waverider instead of waiting for Mommy and the others to find us? Is it safe?”
Gideon answered. “There are no immediate threats surrounding the Waverider, but its defenses are down since no one is controlling from the inside.”
“Fly us there, Gideon,” Leonard said, regaining his composure. “I know someone who could help.”
---
It took longer than it usually does for the Waverider to pull in the jumpship but the door lit up, signaling that the jumpship is attached to the main ship. Leonard removed the kids’ seatbelts and immediately opened the bolt door.
“Missed me, Mr. Snart?”
Rip welcomed the man and the kids with a hand on his hips. Luke already gave him a high-five and Lily is currently wrapping her arms around her Uncle Rip’s waist.
“No. You killed my wife once,” Leonard said walking past Rip, not really meaning the harshness in his voice. He then lifted Lily up for him to carry.
Rip groaned and followed Snart. “That wasn’t me! I was under the influence…”
“I know, Rip. I was just kidding. Come on, we’ve known each other for years. If I really hated you for killing Sara, you’d be long dead.”
After releasing a deep breath, Rip immediately followed Leonard to the bridge. The former captain once again stood at the Captain’s seat and tinkered with the console.
“So you called me from the Vanishing Point to, what, fix the ship and get the guns ready and the ship running once all twenty one of you are out?” Rip asked, finally standing to grab the tools from a hidden compartment and eyeing the kids who quietly slid onto the vacant seats.
“And take care of the kids,” Leonard supplied, checking his Cold Gun’s energy.
“Seriously? I travelled all the way to babysit?”
“Stop complaining, Hunter,” Leonard said. “I died trying to save your family. Babysitting isn’t that hard. You two will behave, won’t you?”
His question was met by an intense nodding from a small girl and raised thumbs up from the boy. Once Leonard turned back, Rip saw Lily made a silly face, mocking him. A Snart, indeed.
  “Are you ready to go?” Rip said, still tinkering with the fallen panels and fried wires around the ship.
“In a bit,” Leonard replied. He then walked towards the kids who are currently lying on the couches of the captain’s study.
He sighed, moved his Cold Gun out of the way to crouch down. “You two keep safe, okay? I’ll go get your mom and we’ll be back.”
Leonard ran his hand through Lily’s hair, “Don’t give Uncle Rip too much trouble, okay?”
“And you’ll come back?” a small voice crept on him.
“Of course.”
---
With a deep breath he opened the metal doors of the warehouse, just to see an actual fight that’s as if it came straight from Star Wars. But instead of white troopers, there were dozens of black ones--all of them were ready to blindly sacrifice their lives for Darhk’s stupid plan of building a brand new world.
“Not today you bastard,” he thought to himself before shooting the first blast from his Cold Gun. After a few minutes of chasing the targets, his attention was caught by two geeks sneaking out of the main hall--Raymond and Cisco. His instinct told him to follow the two.
Leonard found them kneeling in front of some kind of device, lying on the floor next to protective masks.
“Nerds! What you’re up to?”
A low drawl could be heard from another end of the room, which of course made the two of them jump the moment they heard it. They relaxed shortly after seeing familiar face.
“Shh! No one followed you here, Cold? Please tell me you didn’t leave a trail!” Cisco pleaded.
“What are you doing here anyway? You were supposed to protect your kids!” Ray seemed quite worried saying that, but patiently waited for the response of the man in question.
“No, Cisco,” Leonard said, almost in a growl. “As far as I know, I’m alone. I left my kids in good hands, Raymond. Period. I came back for my wife. Now…where is she?” His glare became serious, almost scary because Ray swallowed loudly, before he answered.
“We lost sight of her when she got shot and ran inside the warehouse. Rory escorted her in. The wound was bad, but from what I saw, she could walk.”
He spoke faster and louder with every word to assure Snart that his wife was alive when he last saw her. Seeing that Leonard took a breath of relief, Ray came back to connect the last wires of the device beside him. As they were about to finish, Ray stopped and asked, staring at his hands, “Wait. None of us are left on the ship. Cisco and Felicity are both on the field and Caitlyn had no choice but to fight.  With whom did you leave the kids?”
“Isn’t it obvious? The only person who is not here is Rip. So I called our busy Time-dad from the future to move his ass here,” Leonard explain, annoyed that Raymond would even think he left his kids alone.
“We need him more than ever. I explained to him what’s happening and after a few minutes, he showed up. Now he’s trying to control situation from the ship,” Leonard seemed quite pleased with this smart move. It temporary solved the problem. “Now gentlemen, you didn’t answer my question. What is this?” he asked, grabbing the masks.
“That’s one part of our plan to trap Merlyn about three corridors from here,” Cisco proudly said pushing the time button, clock ticking audibly.
“And since you are here, we’re gonna need your help,” Ray finished, giving Len one of the masks. “Will you help us, Captain Cold?”
As much as he was concerned about where Sara is and how she’s holding up, he couldn’t say no to accomplish this one first. One step at a time.
Snart exchanged the looks with both men and said, “Fine. What do you need me to do?”
 The plan was simple but extremely dangerous. Since it was him who the Legion wanted the most, Leonard agreed to be used as bait. He had to lure the Dark Archer to a dead end of a certain hall and cut the other way, creating an ice wall with his cold gun. That would leave him and Malcolm one-on-one and pray that the sleeping gas device will work, as the nerds planned.
Then the crook had to put the protective mask and wait until Merlyn fall on his knees, without killing him in the process.
“I can’t believe I trust those idiots,” he spoke silently while splitting up with the nerds. “When did I become so soft and hopeful?”
It didn’t take long to find Malcolm Merlyn in the middle of the fight. It took less effort to grab his attention, fighting with some minions next to the door.
The archer waded through the crowd as fast as shadow, but he wasn’t fast enough to reach Len disappearing behind the metal door.
“You want to play it one-on-one, Snart? Very well! It would still be an honor to kill you even without an audience.”
Just like he expected, the former member of the Legion tried to play cat-and-mouse in this labyrinth. He was willing to play, counting on Len’s eventual mistake.
“There’s nowhere to hide Cold! We’ll find you anywhere, anytime! First, I want to hurt you physically and then I’m going to tell Darhk to take your beautiful wife right here, for you to see her die slowly and in pain.” He did not know why he said that, but the rage Malcolm felt that at moment fizzled his senses.
The explanation for this behavior wasn’t surprising at all. Damien managed to manipulate his mind and getting rid of the humanity, just in case Merlyn decided to leave the Snarts be.
It was a huge mistake because chasing Leonard through the maze of dark corridors, kept his mind only busy, but not prudent enough.
When men finally reached the destination Cisco showed before, the master thief turned around slowly, successfully pretending to be a bit scared of another man’s actions, tightening his grip on the Cold Gun.
“Now, where were we, Leonard? Is this the part where you’re going to beg for mercy? Because from what I see, you’re all alone, pinned to the wall like a helpless kid from juvie, waiting to be beaten to death by the big boys.”
Those cruel words froze the blood in Len’s veins for a moment and were ended with creepy laugh from his opponent. He had to act fast if he wanted to survive.
“Since when did Darhk start controlling your mind, Merlyn? This maniac turned you into a puppet! You can cut the strings that he and Thawne put on you. Deep down you’re still human. I know because some time ago, you let my children go. I want to know why! Why didn’t you kill them when you had a chance?”
There was a flicker in Malcolm’s blue eyes, like he remembered the reason why--like he remembered seeing Thea and Tommy in Lily and Luke Snart, though it seemed brief.
“Enough with the games, Snart! This ends today and my mistakes will be fixed quicker than you can imagine. Besides...I remember you used to like being our puppet, didn’t you?” A wide smile disappeared from his face when he prepared bow and arrow, ready to shoot any moment.
“You’re correct. This ends today.” Len whispered loud enough for Malcolm to hear and threw himself on the floor to avoid being shot. With the most powerful blast from the Cold Gun, he formed an ice wall behind archer, cutting his way out, just like Ramon said.
Distracted and blinded, Merlyn tried to clear his vision from bright blue light which stroke him a moment ago. That was Leonard’s chance to give Cisco a sign to release the gas.
“Now would be a perfect time, guys!” the crook shouted, putting his mask on. Malcolm was able to catch him and started strangling his neck.
Breathlessly, Leonard tried to push him away of his body, but there was a second, when his blue eyes shone with fear and finality, and his thoughts swirling.
“That’s it Snart. You probably won’t make it but you’re hero, buddy. You saved your family, as you promised. They know how important they are for you. You told them so many times.”
His eyes opened forcefully when he felt archer’s flaccid body on his own. He also heard Ray’s voice behind the frozen wall and a loud sound of explosion, like glass broken in million pieces. Len felt strong arms helping him to stand up and followed by a ‘congratulations’ from his friends.
It took him half a minute to adjust his lungs to the damp air in the basement but when Leonard saw the Legion member on the floor and figured the plan worked out, he immediately touched his right ear.
“Queen!” Leonard yelled through the comms.
“Snart? What’s wrong? Where are you?” Oliver responded in the middle of a fight, a bit surprised with Captain Cold’s voice.
“We were able to set a trap on Merlyn in the west part of warehouse basement. You should be just above us right now, so move your sorry ass and come here before this one wakes up!” Len answered breathing out.
“I’m on my way. Hold on there,” Green Arrow said, making his way through Legion’s minions until he reached the stairs leading him down.
What he saw a couple of minutes later was shocking even for him. Leonard Snart, Cisco Ramon and Ray Palmer were standing next to the unconscious Malcolm Merlyn, taking off the gas masks off of their faces.
When he appeared, Len stepped forward and gave him the archer’s black bow and a quiver of arrows.
‘Why are you giving me this? You had every right to kill this man, Snart,” Oliver’s voice almost concerned.
“Well Queen, there was a time I would have done it, but... maybe today should be about justice, not cold blooded murder. From what I’ve heard you’re trying to be specialist on that matter. He’s all yours,” the tall man stated kicking Malcolm’s side almost lightly. After that, he gave two men behind him a sign to help other heroes.
“Snart. He’s responsible for hypnotizing Thea and telling her to kill Sara--your wife, for God’s sake!” Oliver could not understand why the man standing beside him is holding back from this task.
“That’s why she should do it,” Leonard finally conceded. “But Sara’s not here, is she? I have to find her, right now. She can still be in danger, so I’m asking YOU to do what you think is right. You’re the only person who’s worthy to decide about his fate. He partly ruined your life too, after all.”
Leonard then slowly but decisively stretched his hand towards the guy in a green hood, breath held and eyebrows furrowed.
Oliver didn’t even resisted and willingly shook tall man’s hand. He even wanted to say something, but Snart already headed in opposite direction.
Opening the door, Cold turned around and drawled.
“You know, Robin Hood, there might come a day that I’ll start asking you to join me in a bar somewhere for a drink or two,” he smirked putting back his goggles.
“I can say the same about you Snart. Now go get your girl back and bring her home safe. The last time I saw her, they were at the back of the warehouse with Firestorm and Rory assisting her.”
Leonard couldn’t even hear archer’s last words, because he started running, where Arrow told him.
---
Jumping three steps up, Leonard reached heavy door leading to east side of a huge building, avoiding the main fight area. Sara was his priority, even if he saw Kid Flash got hit by Thawne and Vixen was wounded as well.
“Mick’s going to be pissed about Amaya being knocked down,” Len thought, passing large metal boxes, scattered all over the place.
He saw tiny movements from behind one of them and sharpened his senses. This could be anyone--an enemy or a friend--so he tried not to make a sound as he came closer.
The next few seconds were a blur. Mick and Firestorm wanting to burn him from both sides. Sara screaming at them to stop. Apologies from his partner and the burning man. Len running to his injured wife—her side still covered in blood. Sara asking questions about Luke and Lily. The man reassuring her that the kids are left in good hands, while giving her a long hug and stroking her hair.
“You don’t have much time, lovebirds,” Mick interrupted. “There’s an exit at the end of this hall, opening to the base but I don’t know if there are any minions waiting outside. I assure you that I landed the Waverider just across. You have to be careful and I suggest Firestorm to come with you two.”
The couple nodded in agreement and Len took Sara and placed her arm over his shoulder, prompting her to lean on him as they walk out. When the crook stood up, he said to Rory with soft voice. “Thank you for taking care of my girl, Mick. Now you have to save yours. She’s hurt and needs your help. Go!”
“Urgh!” Mick growled quietly. “Pretty boy is supposed to cover her. He’s so screwed up.” With those words, the broad-shouldered man ran towards the main hall to, indeed, save his girl.
Leonard saw Firestorm’s worried face, so was Sara, who calmed him down with small smile.
“I’ll be fine Jax. I always am. We’ll follow you. Now go and check if we have free pass outside.”
The man lightly touched his friend’s  shoulder and did what she said with a quick “Okay” on his mouth.
Len finally decided to carry her bridal style all the way to the door, careful not to widen the wound. All the things they wanted to say to each other were visible in their eyes and heard in heavy breaths.
Finally Sara spoke almost crying.
“You came for me. You came back despite of what I told you about taking care of our babies. Where are they now?” Her voice weaker with every word she said.
“I’ll always come back for you Sara. You know I wouldn’t come if Lily and Lucky were not safe. I’m going to take you to them. They’re on the Waverider with Rip.”
He hesitated saying the last words, not knowing what her reaction would be, given she still sometimes dream of when Rip shot her and crushed her windpipe.
“How so? How did you even manage to contact him?” Her breath caught in her lungs for a moment from shock and relief.
“I know my ways, besides he owed me. Rip owed all of us. Now hush, little bird. We’re almost there.”
Firestorm came back to let them know they’re clear and led them out.
“Be careful, you two,” Leonard said, addressing both Jax and Stein. “Go back safe. All of you, do you hear me?”
Firestorm nodded an agreement, before flying back to the others.
Leonard saw a clear opening towards the where the Waverider was originally landed. A couple of steps away from the hatch and that’s when Sara’s strength left her and she fainted completely in her husband’s arms.
--to be continued--
Just one chapter left and an epilogue (and probably a deleted scene) because the next chapters are fluff--my favorite--and PANDArt and I got a little too excited <3
Thanks to those who are still holding on to this story. My first ever multi-chapter fic and first ever collab with someone so amazing. It was a blast. <3
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Conversation
Master Raymond: It's nerve powder, usually prescribed for women of course, for nervous exhaustion, wandering wombs, that sort...
Claire: Why on Earth would a womb wander?
Raymond: Unnatural behaviour will do it according to Hippocrates. Like celibacy.
Claire: Oh, good. Mine's not going anywhere.
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otheroutlandertales · 6 years
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@scotsmanandsassenach sent us the following picture as a prompt:
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Witches - Part 1
by @whiskynottea
“Claire!” Jenny’s voice was loud and clear in the empty field. “Come here! Quick!”
Claire rucked her skirts up and out of the way and ran. The rustling of her petticoats mingled with the chirping of a bird - alone, wistful -  keeping company to the single tree standing proud next to the abandoned house.
They were too late. The whole family had been taken.
“Look at this.” Jenny held a ribbon in her pale, shaking hand. It had been pink once, before the dark splotches of mud stole away the innocence it had carried.  
“I… I saw her. Again.” Jenny swallowed forcefully. Her eyes were moist, but her voice rose steady against the wind. “She’s around sixteen, Claire. A scrawny lass, wi’ a head full of russet curls.”
Claire nodded, her lips a tight line. It was one of Jenny’s visions that led them to the farmhouse. She’d seen the girl’s hands reaching for her mother, fingers itching for safety. Next moment, a bigger hand was holding them tight, binding them together. A hand certain and determined, leading to an arm hidden by the red uniform. Jenny and Claire knew that image all too well - they were trying to stop him from hurting their people for the last six months. They were following him, to amend his wrongs.
“How many days do we have?” Claire asked, looking at the sun setting on the horizon. It was an enchanting sight, but she felt the colors mocking her, reminding her how beautiful life would be if they’d arrived in time to save the family.
“Two, maybe three. The bastard was punching her in the face. There was blood on her chin, her lip torn,” Jenny said through gritted teeth. Her hand, clenched in a tight fist, was shaking with anger.
“Where?” Claire spoke the word fast, her breathing insufficient to support a whole sentence. She swallowed and tried again. “Where are they?”
“Fort William.”
“Show me.”
Jenny took Claire’s hands into her own; with a nod they both closed their eyes and focused on their connected palms, the fingers laid lightly on each other’s pulse. None of them saw the white light emanating from their hands, an aura the two created together, bright and pure. Powerful. They didn’t need to see it. They knew of it; they felt it.
It was a current travelling across their tissue. An invisible energy flowing between them, making itself apparent only by the light and the warmth left in its wake.
The gate opened. Their minds connected. Jenny’s visions were transferred in front of Claire’s eyes, misty in the beginning, dancing around like ghosts, but slowly becoming clearer, real. Sharing a secret with her. Whispering images to her mind.
Every time they connected, Jenny showed Claire someone who needed help, someone who needed her; showed her what would come to happen to these people in a few hours, days, months - each time was different. Jenny opened a window to the future as easily as she opened a room’s wide window in the morning to see the Highland hills glowing with mystical serenity.
Jenny was a part of this place. Her father had taught her its past. And her mother… Her mother gave her the ability to see into its future.
And sometimes, her own future.
That was how Jenny knew, when she first met Claire.
--
They were both in Inverness, a rainy day like all the other days – and yet it wasn’t. Jamie was leaving for France, and Jenny would be left behind – again. First Castle Leoch, now Paris. Living the life, her younger brother. Jenny took him in her arms and squeezed the wee dolt until she felt tears threaten to run over her face. She stayed put, watching him aboard the ship until he became nothing more than a distant black spot in her vision.
It hurt her that he’d be away, that she wouldn’t see that red mop of hair decorating his empty head every day. But what hurt more was that she couldn’t go with him. That she’d never had a vision of herself living away from home. No, her da was resolute. It would be too dangerous for her to leave Lallybroch. She almost didn’t come to Inverness after their da insisted she should stay home to take care of the animals. Thank God for Mrs. Crook, who coughed politely, reminding Brian that she’d stay back, anyway. And thank God for Jamie, too, who hugged Jenny and said that it would be nice to travel with both of them, his whole family. Finally, Da yielded to the common front.
Jenny glanced over at Da from the corner of her eye, still vexed, and walked towards her horse to wait for him to finish his conversation with an old friend he’d met at the docks.
That was when Jenny spotted Claire. She was standing close to the boats, looking at the sea, her gaze lost in a far away land, her curls blowing in the wind. She wasn’t like any other lass Jenny knew. Her dress was silky and shiny, the color a deep green that made Jenny almost smell of the pines it brought to her mind. She must be close to Jenny’s age, and the lass certainly wasn’t a Scot. No Scot would wear such a dress on the docks of Inverness.
What was she doing here?
Jenny felt her eyes close, involuntarily looking into the curly-head’s future. She wasn’t supposed to do that, she knew, but today, she was far too angry to heed her father’s instructions.
She opened her eyes again, wide with surprise. She had seen the brown haired lass in Lallybroch, sitting in the armchair across from Jenny, a cup of tea warming her long white fingers. She was laughing, and Jenny was laughing with her, a feeling warming up her heart and taking her previous anger away.
With a smile, Jenny approached the strange girl.
Jenny wouldn’t be alone anymore. This lass felt different. Special. Like her.
It was months before Jenny shared the truth with her, shared her visions, the way she glimpsed a future inexistent. She wanted Claire to trust her, to know her as a true friend and not a threat.
Slowly Jenny came to know more about Claire, the lass with the whisky eyes to match her golden heart. She had been a five-year-old English orphan when Master Raymond had found her and took her to Paris. She hadn’t known back then that she was different, that her family was different. Master Raymond had helped her heal from the attack, physically and mentally, until she became strong again. Her parents might be dead, but she was alive and away from danger - for now. Their assailants thought her dead.
This gave Master Raymond precious time to train her, slowly and patiently, to bring out the powers she had inside. Both Claire’s parents were healers, but she was something more. She was the healer professed in the worn pages of mystical books. She was the White Raven, born once in two hundred years. If trained properly, pushing herself to her limits, she would be able to heal herself. She’d be immortal. If she wouldn’t get killed in between.
No matter how hard Raymond had tried to hide it, over the years people started talking about Claire’s healing abilities. She was loved and feared. She endured - and survived - violent attacks. She was La Dame Blanche. She had to leave France to stay safe.
Enemies are made by power. They want to steal it; they want to use it. And if they can’t wield it, they want to destroy it. And Claire had too much power for her own good.
But at Lallybroch, she was safe.
A few months after they first met, Jenny and Claire’s relationship ran deeper than anything else they’d experienced before. There were no secrets, no lies.
Only one person would change this, Jenny knew, but he was in Paris, fooling himself with petite French girls. Jenny had seen Jamie and Claire together, their eyes shining with intoxicating love, but she talked to neither of them about it. If it was to happen, she’d let them do it by themselves. Claire had become a sister already; she knew Jenny’s heart.
As a sister, Claire was the only person who knew about Jenny’s abilities aside from her da and her brother. Jenny and Brian were the only people who knew Claire for the healer she really was; not one with potions and concoctions, but with powerful hands. Jamie would come to know later. Claire used small bottles, giving them to the people she healed with her powers, encouraging them to believe it was the herb-colored water that brought them back to health. It was safer, this way. Here, at Lallybroch, she was a healer, not a witch.
“You witch,” Jenny had teased her after coming back from their visit at the MacLays. Jenny had had a vision of Aileas, their youngest daughter, fallen ill with a terrible fever, her frail body shaking under the plaids, her eyes lost in the fog. Pretending that they’d visited to share Mrs Crook’s bannocks, Jenny and Claire had arrived at the little house, at the end of the Fraser lands.
The girl was safe, sleeping soundly when they left. It was the first time Jenny saw Claire healing, and she was sure that she’d witnessed more than the girl’s family who stood around them.
A blue light leaving Claire’s hands, rippling along the tiny body until it was all taken in, like rain on dry land.
Once back at home, Jenny had narrowed her eyes on Claire and tried to keep a straight face while teasing her, but a shadow crossed Claire’s face in the shape of a frown. It was only when she saw Claire taking a deep breath that Jenny had burst into laughter. “I didn’t believe that you’d buy this nonsense, Claire! Witch? Come on!” she said, rolling her eyes.
A slow smile had transformed Claire’s pale face as sadness faded from her whisky eyes. “Takes one to know one, right?”
“Aye,” Jenny winked with a small smile.
“You’ve seen it then?” Claire asked, looking at her with a surprised but hopeful glint in her eye.
“The blue light? Aye. Scared me to death before I realized no one else could see it.” Jenny chuckled, placing her hand in the crook of Claire’s elbow. “Let’s go make supper, visions always make me hungry.”
--
They wouldn’t have time to eat now. Fort William was a two days ride from the Fraser lands.
“The rotting bastard.” Claire whispered the moment she opened her eyes again, the vision fading away under the daylight. “Not him. Not again.”
Jenny huffed, placing her hands on her waist. “If someone doesna kill him, Claire, he will never stop. Come on. We have to hurry.”
Part 2
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rjhorner73 · 5 years
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10 Steps to Achievement, Ch. 3 (Blog a Book)
10 Steps to Achievement, Ch. 3 (Blog a Book)
“When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” ~ Spiritual Philosophy attributed to The Buddha
My Studies:
I have studied from many of the masters of personal development: Tony Robbins, Zig Ziglar, Brian Tracy, Napoleon Hill, Stephen Covey, Robin Sharma & John Maxwell among others, but also more locally there is Raymond Aaron, a teacher in the movie; The Secret.  Raymond Aaron was…
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uneminuteparseconde · 5 years
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Des concerts à Paris et alentour en gras : les derniers ajouts :-: in bold: the last news Octobre 28. Kate Tempest – Le Trianon 29. Danse avec les Shlags – Le Motel (gratuit) 29. Agent Side Grinder + DaGeist – La Boule noire 29. Pauwels + Mr Marcaille + BOB Cooper – L'ESS'pace 30. The White Screen + Techno Thriller + Novichok – Supersonic (gratuit) 30. Oiseaux-Tempête + Jessica Moss – La Maroquinerie 30. Jenny Hval – Centre Pompidou 30. Battles + Quadrupède – Trabendo 30. Dame Area + Slaylor Moon + Noir de Maars – Espace B 30. AZF + Voiron + Zadig – The Lab Paris (sur invitation) 31. Skepta + Mura Masa + Hamza + Zola + Ateyaba + Celeste + Duendita + Ezra Collective + Flohio + Kojey Radical + Master Peace + Slowthai + The Comet is Coming + Yussef Dayes + Charlotte Dos Santos + Kojaque (Pitchfork fest.) – La Grande Halle de La Villette 31. Channel+ + First Draft + Grandma’s Ashes + Normcore – Espace B 31. Arrington de Dionyso – Instants chavirés (Montreuil) 31. Broken English Club + Cabaret nocturne + IV Horsemen + Gil. Barte – Petit Bain Novembre 01. Chromatics + Belle & Sebastian + Primal Scream + John Talabot + Weyes Blood + Barrie + Briston Maroney + Chai + Desire + Helado Negro + Jackie Mendoza + Nilüfer Yanya + Orville Peck + Sheer Mag + Squir + Loving + Nelson Beer + Sons of Raphael (Pitchfork fest.) – La Grande Halle de La Villette 01. Park Hie Jin + HAAI + Afrodeutsche + Nite Fleit (Pitchfork fest. after party) – Trabendo 01. Meconio + Mamachi + Punaises + Areva (LaDIYfest) – Le Cirque électrique 01. Imperial Black Unit + Mekano + CH-01 + Krase b2b Alphonse Fassaert – Petit Bain 01. Under Black Helmet b2b Hadone + Inhalt der Nacht b2b Echoes of October + Danilo Incorvala + Makornik + Félicie – Les Docks de Paris (La Plaine-Saint-Denis) 02. The 1975 + Charli XCX + 2manysdj (dj) + Aurora + Agar Agar + SebastiAn + Aeris Roves vs Jamila Woods + Jessica Pratt + Kedr Livanskiy + Korantemaa + BEA1991 + Caroline Polachek + Ela Minus + KhadyaK + Mk.gee + Oklou + Tobi Lou (Pitchfork fest.) – La Grande Halle de La Villette 02. Volt + Vicious Irene + U.R.S.A + Gertrude + Kalicia Katakov (LaDIYfest) – Le Cirque électrique 02. Ensemble économique + CIA débutante – Chair de poule  02. Arto + Fumo Nero – Le Picolo (Saint-Ouen) 03. Nina Kraviz + Lacchesi – Dehors brut 03. Mark Morgan + Gaute Granli + Ibiza Death + Montreuil Quasi No  –  Les Nautes   03. Whispering Sons + Lingua Nada – Point FMR 05. Body of Light + Dead Mascot + Boy Scoot Hopkins – Supersonic (gratuit) 05. Ceremony + SeRvo – Espace B 05. Dear Deer + Traitrs + Men in disorder – L'International 06. Scattered Purgatory + Qian Geng + UVB76 + ruò tán – Le Cirque électrique 06. Minus Pilot + GNG + Thomas Stone + Kevin Buckland – Café de Paris 06. Mont Analogue + Les Halles + Bravo Tounky – Garage Mu 06. Guitar Wolf + School Disco – Gibus 06. Glacial – Instants chavirés (Montreuil) 06. The Murder Capital – Nouveau Casino ||COMPLET|| 07. Camilla Sparksss + Hyperculte [+ Xiu Xiu : ANNULÉ] – Petit Bain 07. Kælan Mikla + Leroy se meurt – La Boule noire 07. Randomer + Parallx + Parfait – Glazart 08. Bedroom Community – Cité de la musique|Philharmonie 08. Part Chimp + Gnod + Hey Colossus – Petit Bain 08. Sourdurent + Raymonde – Pan Piper 08. Jad Wio + Love in Prague – Gibus 08. Crystal Geometry + Monya + Size Pier + Kaya + Sina XX – La Station 08. Jennifer Cardini b2b Gerd Janson + Mouse on Mars + Fantastic Twins + Oko DJ (10 ans d’Arte concert) – La Machine (gratuit sur résa) ||COMPLET|| 08. Boy Harscher – Trabendo ||COMPLET|| 09. Trotski nautique (20 ans de l’Omadis) – Omadis (gratuit) 09. Molchat Doma + War Scenes – La Station 09. Fleuves Noirs + Thank + Drive with a Dead Girl + Panico Panico – Le Rigoletto 09. Leroy se meurt + Staatseinde – Le Zorba 09. Kwartz + ABSL + Toscan Haas – Glazart 10. Amiina : cinéconcert sur "Fantomas" de Louis Feuillade – Le Studio|Philharmonie 10. Ólafur Arnald + Hugar – Salle Pierre Boulez|Philharmonie 10. Nosfell : “Süanij, dans la forêt du songe” (fest. Paris en toutes lettres) – Maison de la poésie 10. Fontaine D.C. – Bataclan ||COMPLET|| 12. Deerhunter + Moon Diagrams – Trabendo 12. Up-Tight + Officine – Instants chavirés (Montreuil) 13. Mick Harvey & JP Silo, Steve Shelley, Glenn Lewis – Les Trois Baudets 14. Dinah Bird & Jean-Philippe Renoult (Inaudible Matters) – La Gaîté lyrique 14. Girl Band + Silverbacks – La Maroquinerie 14. Automatisme + Lacustre (Sulfure fest.) – Le vent se lève 14. Manni Dee + Remco Beekwilder + Mental Infection – Glazart 14. Stella Chiweshe + Is a Fish – Instants chavirés (Montreuil) 15. Von Pariahs + Nursery – Point FMR 15. Tendra Ael + City Dragon + Meryll Ampe + Divisas – La Pointe Lafayette 15. Chemical Brothers – Seine musicale (Boulogne-Billancourt) 15. Karenn + 16H07 + Antigone... (Big Bang Festival) – Les Docks de Paris 15. Kap Bambino – La Gaîté lyrique ||ANNULÉ|| 16. Kas:st + Agoria + Bambounou b2b François X + Charles Kenkler + Matrixxman + Remcord...(Big Bang Festival) – Les Docks de Paris 17. Nitzer Ebb + Liebknecht – La Machine 17. Tropical Fuck Storm + Unschooling – Badaboum 18. Omni + The Gotobeds + Pleasure Principle – La Boule noire 18. Surf Curse + edgar déception + Fiasco – Supersonic (gratuit) 19. Earth + Helen Money – Petit Bain 20. Lucy Railton + Sean Baxter + Jessica Ekomane – Instants chavirés (Montreuil) 21. Cate Le Bon + Grimm Grimm – Petit Bain 21. Haco + Emiko Ota avec KiriSute Gomen – Studio Campus 21. Vincent Ségal, Clément Saunier, Odile Auboin, Jossalyn Jessen et Gilbert Nouno jouent des pièces de Peter Eötvös, Yan Maresz, Gilbert Nouno et Fausto Romitelli (fest. Innovasounds) – Le 104 21>23. Nosfell : “Le Corps des songes” (fest. New Settings) – Théâtre de la Cité internationale 22. eRikm + Franck Vigroux & Antoine Schmitt : “Chronostasis” (fest. Innovasounds) – Le 104 22. Rubin Steiner + Dombrance + Ambeyance + Meteo Mirage – La Maroquinerie 22. Nursery + Casse Gueule + Tout de suite – Cirque électrique 22. Kazu Makino (Blonde Redhead) – Les Étoiles 22. Drew McDowall – Protocol (Pantin) 23. Franck Vigroux & Kurt d’Haeseleer : “The Island (part. 1)” + Cinna Peyghamy (fest. Bruits blancs) – La Muse en circuit (Alfortville) (gratuit sur résa) 23. Trio Sacher + Ensemble intercontemporain (fest. Innovasounds) – Le 104 23. Billy Childish + Le Villejuif Underground + Petausaure (fest. BBmix) – Carré Bellefeuille (Boulogne-Billancourt) 23. 999999999 + Jawbreakrs + Nico Moreno + Perc + Sentimental Rave + Softcoresoft + Trym + Parfait + UR trax – tba 24. TR/ST – Le Trianon 24. Mdou Moctar – La Boule noire 24. Midori Takada + Carla dal Forno + Felicia Atkinson (fest. BBmix) – Carré Bellefeuille (Boulogne-Billancourt) 24. The Young Gods + Les Tétines noires – La Machine 26. Wardruna – Olympia 27. Poly-Math + Bruit ≤ + Maven – Supersonic (gratuit) 27. The Stranglers – Olympia 27. Silly Joy + Raskolnikov + Jupiter Jane – L’International 27. Le Singe blanc + Double Nelson + Putavelo – Le Cirque électrique 27. The Stranglers + Ruts DC – L’Olympia 27. Hélène Breschand, Tarek Atoui & Cécile Mont-Reynaud : “Pandore” + Ensemble Motus joue Tony Conrad et Elsa Biston (fest. Bruits blancs) – Anis Gras (Arcueil) 28. The Psychotic Monks – Trabendo 28. Artl + Powerdove – Petit Bain 28. OD Bongo + Richard Frances & Konpyuta + Domotic – 100ECS 28. ABSL + Blush Response + Kuss + Ferdinand Prairie – Rex Club 28. Derek Holzer : “Vector Synthesis” + Cate Hope & Lisa McKinney : “Super Liminum” + Antoine Schmitt & Hortense Gauthier : “CliMax” (fest. Bruits blancs) – Le Cube (gratuit sur résa) ||COMPLET|| 29. Le Syndicat + Entre Vifs – Les Voûtes 29. Scanner – Nouveau Théâtre de Montreuil 29. Ulrich Krieger : “Raw” + Cellule d’intervention Metamkine (fest. Bruits blancs) – La Muse en circuit (Alfortville) 29. Maoupa Mazzocchetti + Filmmaker + Club Meth + Detective Unit + Jean Redonodo + Shlagga – La Station 30. Mondkopf – Médiathèque musicale de Paris (gratuit) 30. Donato Dozzy + Max Cooper + Terry & Cyan Riley + Ensemble intercontemporain : "Drumming" de Steve Reich + Ensemble Social Silence : "Music for Airport" de Brian Eno + Apollo noir + Récital pour marimbas (Marathon fest.) – La Gaîté lyrique 30. Aidan Baker & BOW Quintet + SEPL (Sulfure fest.) – Le vent se lève 30. Ulrich Krieger + Natacha Muslera + Julien Desprez + Eryck Abecassis + Sylvaine Hélary avec Clyde Chabot, Jean Cagnard, Ismaël Jude, Nathalie Papin et Michel Simonot (fest. Bruits blancs) – Anis Gras (Arcueil) Décembre 01. Motorama – La Maroquinerie 01. Ghedalia Tazartes & Rhys Chatham (Semaine du bizarre) – Théâtre Berthelot (Montreuil) 03. White Hills – Supersonic (gratuit) 03. Belgrado – Espace B 06. Phillip Glass Ensemble : cinéconcert sur "Koyaanisqatsi" de Godfrey Reggio – Salle Pierre Boulez|Philharmonie 06. dDamage + Arnaud Rebotini + Mondkopf + Sister Iodine + Krikor + White Heat + Dr(dr)one + Gorille + Panzer + Paulie Jan – La Station 06. Nina Garcia & Maria Bertel + France Sauvage + Somaticae (Semaine du bizarre) – Théâtre Berthelot (Montreuil) 06. Answer Code Request + Regis + Raslan b2b Yoannis – La Seine musicale (Boulogne-Billancourt) 07. Phillip Glass Ensemble : cinéconcert sur "Powaqqatsi" de Godfrey Reggio – Salle Pierre Boulez|Philharmonie 07. Kokoko! – La Gaîté lyrique 07. I Hate Models – tba 08. Phillip Glass Ensemble : cinéconcert sur "Naqoyqatsi" de Godfrey Reggio – Salle Pierre Boulez|Philharmonie 08. Mark Lanegan Band + The Membranes – Le Trianon 11. Boris – Le Gibus 12. Mono + Jo Quail – Petit Bain 12. Kompromat (Vitalic & Rebeka Warrior) – La Cigale 12. Heldon + Duncan – Instants chavirés (Montreuil) 13. Contrefaçon – La Gaîté lyrique 13. Regards extrêmes + Lisieux + Ascending divers – Les Voûtes 14. Ludwig Von 88 – Le Trianon 18. Amenra – Bataclan 21. Youth Avoiders + Chain Cult + Short Days + Bleakness – Espace B 2020 Janvier 04. Rokia Traoré + Ballaké Cissoko & Vincent Segal – Salle Pierre Boulez|Philharmonie 11. Last Night + Euromilliard + Kumusta – Gibus 16. Black Midi – Le Carreau du Temple ||COMPLET|| 17. Edith Nylon – Petit Bain 17. Scratch Massive + Lokier + Cassie Raptor + Faast + Kiddo – Badaboum 17. Dafne Vicente-Sandoval + Ji Youn Kang + Thomas Lehn : “Occam VI” d’Eliane Radigue + Tiziana Bertoncini, Antonin Gerbal, David Grubbs, Ji Youn Kang, Thomas Lehn, eRikm & Dafne Vicente-Sandoval : "Et tournent les sons dans la garrigue" de Luc Ferrari – Le 104 18. Lee Ranaldo & Raül Refree – Le 104 18. Franck Vigroux : "Flesh" (Biennale Nemo) – Maison des arts et de la culture (Créteil) 26. The Fat (cinéconcert pour enfants) – La Gaîté lyrique 29. Rendez-Vous – La Cigale 30. Editors – Salle Pleyel 31. Tindersticks – Salle Pleyel Février 02. Sunn o))) – La Gaîté lyrique 09. Explosions in the Sky – La Cigale 10. The Murder Capital – Café de la danse 13. Ride – Le Trianon 16. Orchestral Manoeuvre in the Dark – La Cigale 18. Biliana Voutchkova – Instants chavirés (Montreuil) 21. Ensemble Links joue "Drumming" de Steve Reich + Cabaret contemporain : "Détroit" + Molécule – Le 104 24. Sleater Kinney – Le Trianon Mars 02. DIIV – La Gaîté lyrique 03/04. The Mission – Petit Bain 05. Orange Blossom : “Sharing” avec les machines de François Delarozière – Élysée Montmartre 06. Frustration – Le Trianon 07. Ensemble intercontemporain joue Steve Reich : cinéconcert sur un film de Gerhard Richter – Salle Pierre Boulez|Philharmonie 07. Alcest + Birds In Row + Kælan Mikla – La Machine 10. Arnaud Rebotini : live pour “Fix Me” d’Alban Richard – Centre des Arts (Enghien-les-Bains) 11. Nada Surf – La Cigale 13. Russian Circle + Torche – Bataclan 17. Chelsea Wolf – La Gaîté lyrique 20. Ensemble Dedalus : "Occam Ocean" d'Éliane Radigue – Le Studio|Philharmonie 21. Front 242 + She Past Away – Élysée Montmartre 21/22. Laurie Anderson : "The Art of Falling" – Cité de la musique|Philharmonie 27. Lebanon Hanover – La Gaîté lyrique 27. Maggy Payne : "Crystal" (diff.) + 9T Antiope + John Wiese + Matthias Puech + Nihvak (fest. Présences électronique) – Studio 104|Maison de la Radio 28. Ensemble Links : "Drumming" de Steve Reich + Cabaret contemporain joue Kraftwerk – théâtre de la Cité internationale 28. Iannis Xenakis : “Mycenae Alpha” (diff.) + Marja Ahti + Rashad Becker + Nina Garcia + Kode9 (fest. Présences électronique) – Studio 104|Maison de la Radio 29. Ivo Malec : "Recitativio" + Eve Aboulkheir + Richard Chartier + Lee Gamble + Will Guthrie & Mark Fell (fest. Présences électronique) – Studio 104|Maison de la Radio Avril 14>17. Metronomy – La Cigale 18. Siglo XX – La Boule noire 27. Caribou – L’Olympia Mai 08. Max Richter : "Infra" + Jlin + Ian William Craig – Cité de la musique|Philharmonie 09. Max Richter : "Voices" – Salle Pierre Boulez|Philharmonie 09. Jonas Gruska + Leila Bordreuil + Jean-Philippe Gross + Kali Malone (fest. Focus) – Le 104 10. Iannis Xenakis : "La Légende d’Eer" + Folke Rabe : "Cyclone" et "What ???" (fest. Focus) – Le 104 10. Max Richter : "Recomposed" & "Three Worlds" – Salle Pierre Boulez|Philharmonie 19. Swans + Norman Westberg – Le Trabendo 22. François Bayle : “Le Projet Ouïr” + Marco Parini : "De Parmegiani Sonorum" + Yan Maresz (fest. Akousma) – Studio 104|Maison de la Radio 23. Julien Négrier + Hans Tutschku : "Provenance-émergence" + Félicia Atkinson : “For Georgia O’Keefe" + Warren Burt + Michèle Bokanowski (fest. Akousma) – Studio 104|Maison de la Radio 24. Philippe Mion + Pierre-Yves Macé : "Contre-flux II" + Daniel Teruggi : "Nova Puppis” + Adam Stanovitch + Gilles Racot : "Noir lumière" (fest. Akousma) – Studio 104|Maison de la Radio 23. Damon Albarn – Salle Pierre Boulez|Philharmonie 24. Damon Albarn – Salle Pierre Boulez|Philharmonie ||COMPLET|| 26. Minimal Compact – La Machine  Juin 14. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Bercy Arena
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stillthewordgirl · 5 years
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LOT/CC fic: (I Don’t Believe in) Destiny (Ch. 4 of 11)
Leonard Snart is back, finally pulled from the timestream where he's spent the last four years. But he wasn't alone, and the repercussions of that will echo through the Legends, the Time Bureau, and beyond. 
And maybe, just maybe, they'll bring everything around full circle.
--
Longer chapter! Many thanks to Pir8grl.
Can also be read here at AO3 and here at FF.net.
---
Ch. Four: Every Bridge That We Burned
The relief on Ava’s face when she sees Sara on the viewscreen is almost enough to make Sara feel bad for not communicating sooner. Almost.
“You’re OK,” the Time Bureau director says, the relief filling her tone too. “Sara...what were you thinking?”
The chiding tone puts Sara’s hackles up, but she just lifts an eyebrow, wondering just what Ava herself thinks happened.
“That you’d been holding one of my teammates and hadn’t told me,” she says matter-of-factly, folding her arms. “And I’m sorry for that assumption, but given that I came across him hurt, running through the bureau and desperately looking for a way out, I think you should understand.” She pauses. “Now do you believe me about Druce?”
Ava blinks, then frowns at her. “About what?” she asks. “This Leonard Snart attacked him.” She keeps going as Sara blinks back at her. “Yesterday, before he fled, and it doesn’t help that he’s the one who actually taunted Master Druce before blowing up the Vanishing Point and all those people...all that information...”
Sara cuts in sharply, wondering just what’s going on here—though the mental image of Leonard snarking at Druce after she’d had to leave him there at the Vanishing Point is amusing in a way she’d never thought of before, when it hurt too much to consider. 
“He’s my teammate and my friend, and he gave his life—or we thought he did—to save free will and make it possible for us to fulfill our mission,” she tells the other woman, knowing there’s some heat in her voice. “You do realize that was a team effort? It could have been any of us who blew it up. It could have been me.”
Ava gives her an uncertain look, but then frowns, folding her own arms.
“But it wasn’t,” she says calmly. “You wouldn’t have done that. And you didn’t, in the end, did you?”
Sara stares at her.
Get him outta here.
No.
Just do it.
But Ava’s apparently taken her silence, the stunned flash of painful memory, as a sort of agreement. She nods. “Druce says this Snart stole something from the Vanishing Point,” she adds. “Something important, something we need.”
Leonard hadn’t exactly had a free hand to steal anything. Not even a kiss. “What?”
A hesitation. “He didn’t say, exactly,” Ava says carefully. “But we’ll figure that out.” She picks up a paper from her desk, glancing down at it. “When you bring him back here. Are you in the timestream now? How long will it take?”
Her tone is so matter of fact, her demeanor so sure that the Legends will fall in line with her expectations, that Sara’s jaw drops. They’ve had their battles, even when they were together, but how…how could she...
“I’m not,” she snaps as Ava glances up in surprise. “Bringing him back. We’re not. Len...Leonard is one of us, and he’s finally home and he’s been through a hell of a lot. Why would you think we’d just turn him over, abandon him, on your say-so? Especially when we keep telling you that Druce is evil, that this whole Oculus thing is a huge mistake?”
Ava, of course, promptly picks up on the one thing Sara would rather she didn’t pick up on.
“Len?” she asks. “Sara…” She runs a hand over her face, then shakes her head incredulously again. “I know you said, ‘a friend,’ but you’re not actually fond of this criminal, are you? You’ve never said a word about him before in my hearing, and you’ve mentioned all your lost teammates.”
Sara watches her, at a loss for words, and Ava picks up on that too. Sara can see the moment she does.
“That’s…part of the idea, isn’t it?” the Time Bureau director says softly. “You cared too much, didn’t you? Maybe blamed yourself. All for someone who…who’s really the opposite of everything I stand for.”
Sara finds her voice. “Ava…”
But the other woman’s face is closed off now, an expression that Sara knows well—and maybe Ava’s not the polar opposite of Leonard after all, because she’s seen him close off like this too, pulling his ice about himself and acting like he doesn’t care. Even when he does—too much, just like Sara. And just like Ava.
“This is beside the point,” Ava says firmly, nodding to herself. “I don’t care about punishing this...this crook so much, though Master Druce may feel otherwise. But we need back whatever he has, and the Oculus will be rebuilt.” She looks the speechless Sara in the eye, stony-faced. “I’m tired of you insisting that this is a bad idea, when it’s so easy to see all the good that could come of it. You’re so dedicated to holding on to this grudge that you can’t see the big picture here.”
She doesn’t know...she didn’t see... “At least look at Rip’s records!” Sara protests swiftly, trying to get the words in before Ava cuts her off again. “Look at what the Time Masters did, to him, to his family...to so many others, when they backed Vandal Savage. Hell, we could find Kendra and Carter...you could talk to Mick...Leonard...”
The name just makes Ava’s expression ice over more.
“I understand that you consider this Snart…one of your people,” she says, ignoring the protest, “but he’s a criminal and a fugitive, and the bureau will treat him as such.”
And then she cuts the transmission.
Sara stares at the screen, her heart hurting, at war between anger and frustration, disappointment and sadness. She takes a deep breath, letting it out slowly, then steps away, turning to head back to the main bridge.
It occurs to her suddenly that she hadn’t asked Ava about Druce’s time courier. But it probably doesn’t matter, she decides. Hell, with the way she’s defending the former Time Master, it's likely she gave it to him.
---
Raymond hugs him.
That’s not surprising at all. Leonard thinks he’d be more surprised if the Boy Scout hadn’t greeted him with some demonstration of physical affection. But it’s the sheer joy on Raymond’s face that takes him a trifle aback
This team has lost people. The opportunity to get one back—that’s a fine, rare thing.
A new dark-haired woman, clearly with Raymond, gives him a dubious look and a polite enough nod. Leonard, knowing who she is now, gives her one much the same. He’s not one to judge someone based on who their father was—how could he?—but Damien Darhk had killed Sara’s sister and been part of the Legion.
As, apparently, had Leonard.
He’s still digesting what Mick had told him about the Legion of Doom (awful name, that) and Leonard's apparent presence among them. He doesn’t remember it, not at all, and he’s not sure which way it’d be more unnerving.
(Plus, what Mick had described...well, Leonard knows perfectly well he’s got a pretty crappy past in more ways than one, but even the person he'd been in 2013 hadn't been quite that much of an asshat. He thinks.)
(And the Doomworld thing? What kind of an ideal world would it be if there was no planning to a heist, no challenge? That’s not the kind of world that would have come even partly out of his head, not at all. He can’t believe it.)
But there’s not really time to consider that piece of the past at the present. There are too many things to catch up on, too many new people to meet. Leonard likes Zari, the computer hacker from the future, just about instantly for her wry sense of humor and snark, and he and Charlie size each other up pretty quickly, smirk at each other, and leave it at that. Leonard will admit he has trouble wrapping his head around the shapeshifter thing, but he’s been “resurrected” after more than 1,000 days in the timestream, so what the hell does he know?
Nate Heywood, the aforementioned “Pretty,” is even more dubious about Leonard than Nora Darhk, despite Raymond’s enthusiastic introduction. He’s a historian, apparently, and turns into metal, apparently, and Leonard doesn’t really give a rat’s ass if Heywood wants him there or not.
The new Englishman-in-a-trench-coat is John Constantine. He’s apparently a warlock—all right, then—and just as apparently nothing that even approaches straight, given the once-over and good-natured leer he immediately gives Leonard when they meet. Leonard gives him a smirk of acknowledgment back—OK, he does like his badass blonds—but no further encouragement.
He still needs to talk about that future with Sara.
Who, after all these introductions have been made, strides onto the main bridge like the captain she is, glancing around to make sure they’re all there—and pausing just long enough to give Leonard a particular small smile.
Leonard—like a lovestruck idiot, he thinks, with no particular regrets—returns it. He hears a thoughtful hum from Constantine, who raises a suggestive eyebrow as Leonard glances over but says nothing further.
“All right,” Sara says with a sigh, leaning against the holotable. “By this point, I have to presume, you all know about and have met our new, old teammate.” She looks directly at Leonard then, smiling openly, and Leonard can’t help but smirk back.
Snart, you’re gone.
Mick chuckles and Leonard can hear Zari stifle a noise of understanding, but Sara’s continuing. “You know how I found him and some of the background,” she says, then sighs again. “I just contacted the bureau to try to figure out just what’s going on. It didn’t go well.”
Charlie mutters something that sounds downright filthy under her breath, but Sara ignores her. “Av...the director seems to be willing to overlook anything Druce might have done,” she says. “She wants the Oculus tech from him that much.” Then she looks at Leonard. “They also claim you attacked him. When you escaped.”
Leonard shrugs. “I certainly tried more times than one,” he admits. “But when I got loose, he wasn’t even in the room.”
Sara frowns, as if trying to figure something out, then shakes her head. “She also said you stole something,” she tells him, sounding almost amused. “From Druce, from the Vanishing Point. And that they need it back.”
“Right on!” Charlie tells him happily, but Leonard holds up a hand, shaking his head. He can think of only one thing he might have “stolen” there at the end, in any manner of speaking.
Well. Two things. Though Sara’d more properly stolen the first.
“Druce told me he needs the temporal energy I absorbed, over my years in the timestream,” he tells the group, slipping back into his habitual drawl. “To rebuild the Oculus. Not sure how he plans to get that, but it’s probably not pleasant.”
That stirs a flurry of talk, about temporal energy and how it might relate to life force energy (Constantine and Nora), speculation about computers and supernovas (Raymond and a somewhat baffled Nate), some fairly vivid threats specifically against Druce (Mick), and general profanity (Charlie). Sara and Zari just watch in amused silence, and Leonard watches Sara—until he finally sighs and interrupts the others, drawing all eyes to him.
Leonard shakes his head. “Here’s the thing,” he says, looking around. “Druce thinks it’s a done deal already. That the Time Bureau is meant to become the Time Masters, everything coming back around when the Vanishing Point is created and frozen in time. That it was always that way, and always meant to be that way. He thinks he’s put it all together.”
"Could...could that be true?” Heywood asks, staring back at him.
“And then the Time Masters, in a way, lead to the creation of the Time Bureau,” Sara murmurs thoughtfully. “Time loop.”
For a few moments, silence reigns.
“If he’s right, though, if we stop Druce—would Rip never recruit the original Legends?” Raymond asks plaintively. “What would that do to time? Do we have to let it happen?” He looks around, gaze lingering a moment on Nora and, interestingly, Nate. “If we stop the creation of the Time Masters, we’d never meet…but then we’d never be able to stop Druce. Who wouldn’t be a Time Master anyway. Oh, I’m getting a headache.”
“That’s just bollocks,” Charlies scoffs. “This tosser, Druce…he has to come from somewhere right? So how does that work?”
Sara frowns at that, thoughtfully, and Leonard notes it, but then Heywood speaks up again.
“But…Rip Hunter used to work for the original Time Masters,” he protests. “Wouldn’t he know if he wound up recruiting them? And the Time Bureau has time couriers, instead of timeships. Why would they take the technology a step backward like that and go back to ships?” He pauses. “No offense intended, Gideon.”
Leonard listens for the AI’s response, but the prompt “None taken” comes from what seems to be a human throat, not a mechanical one. He turns, momentarily stunned silent, as he watches another unexpected Legend walk smoothly into the room. Sara grins at his reaction.
“Because it’s easier to control people using ships and AIs than more autonomous devices like time couriers,” says Gideon, in the android body she’s been using from time to time over the past few months. She smiles. “I apologize for my lateness. I was running through a lot of records before I transferred to this body.”
She glances at Leonard. “Hello again, Mr. Snart. It’s a pleasure to meet you in this new form.”
Leonard makes an effort to close his mouth. “Gideon,” he says. “This is new.”
She gives him a rather impish smile. “A bit, yes,” she agrees, then looks at Sara. “Captain,” she says, and Leonard doesn’t think he’s imaging something sad in the title—though she carries on before he can examine it, looking around the room. “Team. I don’t have as much information on the origin of the Time Masters as I would like, but I have more than almost anyone else is likely to have. May I?”
Sara waves a hand. “Please, Gideon. And thank you.”
The AI...android...woman...nods. She perches on the holotable comfortably and looks around again.
“The origins of the Time Masters are shrouded in mystery,” Gideon says a bit didactically. “I’m pretty sure that’s on purpose.” She smiles a little. “Even the AIs that run the timeships, such as myself, were supposed to be wiped from time to time, to keep them...us...from holding too much information or, for that matter, developing personalities.”
Zari laughs. “Let me guess,” she says, pointing at Gideon. “You found a way around that.”
“Well, the fact is, Captain Hunter falsified the records. And he never did wipe my memory.” The impish smile is a little sad again. “Which is why I...am who I am, now.” She shakes her head, getting brisk again. “More to the point, I remember a lot."
Heywood perks up at that. “Do you know what really happened to Jimmy Hoffa?” he asks eagerly. “I...” Then he glances around the room, notes the expressions, and subsides. “Never mind. Later.”
Gideon continues. “The Time Masters, who have also been called the Linear Men...”
“Why ‘linear’?” Leonard interrupts, then waves the question away. “Also, later.”
The AI continues, again, with good grace. “...were supposedly created after some sort of experiment trapped a scaled-down supernova, which some of you are quite familiar with, at what came to be known at the Vanishing Point. When it became apparent, the story says, that this phenomenon froze time in a single repeating instant there, the Time Masters were created to take advantage of it and be the guardians of the timeline.”
Charlie said something profane. “Ain’t that always how these prats spin it?” she mutters, waving a hand in the air. “They’re always the ‘chosen ones,’ all hoity-toity. But the only ones who chose them is them.”
Mick grunts in agreement, and Gideon nods to her. “Indeed,” she murmurs. “Well, the 'prats’ you speak of in this case were the High Council, and Zaman Druce had been their leader as long as I’ve been aware. They were the core group, the founders. Other Time Masters and support staff were brought in and trained, but the council members started it.”
“And because the Vanishing Point was outside of time, no one can say really when it really came to be,” Raymond noted. “You...you think Druce might be right. That he has to create the Time Masters with the Time Bureau.”
Gideon sighs. “I think that if he recruits a core group from the bureau...and causes the phenomenon that traps the supernova in the first place...yes. He may be correct.”
“Wouldn’t you know, love?” Constantine finally speaks up, watching Gideon with an expression that seems oddly gentle. “You have records on these wankers, right? Do they match the bureau’s?”
The AI smiles at him. “The Time Masters used pseudonyms, so I cannot simply compare names,” she reminds them. “And my records do not always include pictures, especially not for the High Council. And I was not likely to meet them.” She spreads her hands out before her. “According to them, I am an object. A tool. Definitely not a person, and hardly someone you’d actually acknowledge, let alone socialize with.”
“Their loss,” Constantine says gallantly, making Gideon laugh, but Leonard’s distracted by the look on Sara’s face.
“Ava?” she asks Gideon, simply, her voice nearly breaking on the simple two syllables.
It’s not hard to figure out what she’s thinking, and Leonard winces. If her ex-girlfriend had actually been...was...a Time Master...
Gideon gives her a sympathetic look. “Not that I know of, Captain,” she says gently. “But many of the High Council were not...visible. They kept to themselves or went hooded in public.”
Mick clears his throat and then speaks up gruffly. “I met some of the High Council, Blondie,” he points out. ‘When I was Chronos. And she wasn’t one of ‘em.” He pauses. “But I didn’t meet ‘em all.”
“The director wouldn’t do that. She wouldn’t be part of that,” Nora speaks up, then hesitates, looking at Raymond. “Would she?”
At this point, Leonard would do just about anything to get that look off Sara’s face, but as it happens, he has a point he needs to make anyway.
“But the supernova went boom,” he cuts in, raising his voice a little. “I know. I was there.”
Raymond looked over at him, eyes widening. “Now, that might be what Druce wants the temporal energy for,” he says excitedly. “Could he use it somehow to bring the supernova back? Or to take the Vanishing Point back to when it existed?”
Gideon looked thoughtful. “It might be possible,” she said. “In fact, likely. No offense, Mr. Snart, but you are truly lousy with temporal energy at this point. Enough to work any number of seeming temporal miracles.”
“None taken,” Leonard echoes her earlier words, wondering precisely what she means, but he’s drowned out by Raymond, who’s out of his seat and pacing now.
“Then trap the supernova, harness the Oculus computer to it,” he says, spinning to face them, “and once it’s up and running, you have your time loop.”
“Crap,” Zari says, into the silence. “So, what are we going to do?”
But Sara’s been shaken from her stunned silence, galvanized into action now. “Stop them,” she says grimly, scanning the room. “First, they can’t do anything without Leonard, so we keep him out of their reach.”
“I’ll happily go along with that,” Leonard comments, getting a wry smile in return before Sara focuses on Mick.
“Mick, could you look at some of the Time Bureau records Gideon has?” she asks. “See if you recognize anyone as a Time Master?” He grunts an affirmative, but she’s already moving on, looking at another team member. “Gideon. Can we still get to the Refuge?”
That gives at least some of them—Mick and Ray and Leonard, the ones who know what it means—pause, but Gideon nods promptly. “I can get us there,” she says confidently, rising from her seat on the holotable. “Let me become part of the ship again, and I’ll set a course.” She pauses. “It will take a bit. More than a day in the timestream. It’s a rather…circuitous…route.”
Leonard digests that with a tip of his head, then looks to Sara. The captain looks weary, but nods in affirmation, and Gideon turns toward the corridors—only to turn back a moment later.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Snart,” she says apologetically. “I’m afraid I have your old room. I’ve been trying to learn more about being human, and it seemed that having a human sort of space to myself might help.” She bites her lip, looking quite human in that moment. “I can give it back, but I’ve refurnished it…and my clothes are there…”
Leonard gives her a wry look. “I think I can find somewhere else to crash,” he says, thinking that he’s become a bit of a softie. “A spare…”
“There ain’t any.” Mick shrugs when Leonard looks at him. “We combined a few for more space. I could clean out a bit of mine, but that might take a while…days…”
Leonard thinks of Mick’s propensity for clutter, sighs to himself, but Sara clears her throat then, drawing their eyes. But she meets only Leonard’s gaze.
“It won’t be a problem,” the captain says, watching him intently, tired smile lurking about her mouth. “I think he has somewhere to stay.”
Is she offering…? Leonard tilts his head to the other side. He’s pretty damned sure she is.
“Right,” he drawls in return. “No problem. Got a place.”
Mick looks back and forth at them, barks out a laugh, exchanges a look with Gideon and turns away, talking quietly to the AI as they go. Leonard’s about to lean over and say something suggestive to Sara when he hears a dry chuckle from behind him.
“Oh, is that how it is?” Constantine smirks at them, rolling an unlit cigarette from hand to hand. He leans toward Leonard. “Not totally like Leo, then, are you, handsome?”
Leonard flicks a glance at Sara, who’d already told him a bit about his Earth-X doppelganger. She’s looking resigned, but also a touch amused, and he decides suddenly to mess with the supposed warlock, just for fun.
So, he looks back at Constantine, lowering his lashes and studying at the other man through them.
“Let’s just say that I’m rather more...flexible,” he drawls suggestively, leaning back toward him in return.
Constantine blinks back, looking briefly stunned—until Leonard actually bats his eyelashes and then leans back toward Sara, who loses control of the laugh she’s been restraining. They both smirk at the other man, whose surprise turns into brief amusement warring with irritation.
“Prats,” he mutters, not without humor. “Get my hopes up.”
“It’s true enough,” Leonard informs him. “Just can’t say I’m…available. At the moment.” He looks at Sara, who gazes back. “I think.”
Her lips twitch again. “I think so, too.”
Constantine sighs dramatically, sticking his unlit cig behind his ear. “Pity,” he muses. “Well, let me know if you’re up for…shall we say, another player on the board.”
And with that, he winks, turns, and saunters away, leaving Leonard and Sara alone on the bridge.
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