Fic: We’ve Met Before (On Opposite Sides Of A Phony Cold Gun)
TITLE: We’ve Met Before (On Opposite Sides Of A Phony Cold Gun)
FANDOM: DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Arrow, Flash
CHARACTERS: Felicity Smoak, Quentin Lance, Cisco Ramon, Leonard Snart
SPOILERS: Canon compliant through the 2016 season finales for “Arrow” and Legends of Tomorrow.” Divergent from the season finale of “The Flash.”
SUMMARY: Cisco brings an unexpected guest to the Arrow lair.
AUTHOR’S NOTE: This was supposed to simply be some Quentin/Leonard interaction. Then Felicity and Cisco got in on the act. Not quite sure where this is going, so bear with me. And many thanks to Jael for looking this over multiple times.
This is part of a series called “Marking Time.” This story falls somewhere between “Dad Can Fix Anything (But Not This)” and “Not Our Song.”
The characters, as always, belong to the folks at DC Entertainment.
--
Felicity wiped nonexistent dust off her already immaculate workstation one more time, and took one more look around the newly refurbished Arrow lair.
Quentin chuckled at her. “You’ve got everything shipshape and Bristol fashion, Felicity. What are you so nervous about?”
“I’m not nervous!” Felicity protested, a bit too loudly. “But the last time we rebuilt the lair according to Cisco’s instructions, I made a big mistake with the wiring and he noticed it the moment he walked in. I want to make sure everything is just right this time, so he can focus on installing the new gear.”
“I’m sure it’s all fine,” Quentin reassured her. “So how long is this supposed to take, anyway?”
“Well, when we originally scheduled this, Cisco said it would take three or four days,” Felicity answered. “But now he says he has a new security expert who’s really helped them at S.T.A.R. Labs, and he’s bringing him along. So now he expects they’ll be finished by tomorrow night, before Oliver gets back from the conference of mayors in Washington.”
“And they’re trusting this expert with all their secrets?”
Felicity shrugged. “Cisco says it’s someone they’ve worked with before. He just joined their team full-time.”
“Well, I hope they don’t mind an unemployed cop hanging around,” Quentin said. He leaned back and put his feet up on the desk Felicity had set up for him. “I may not know much about computers, but I do know a thing or two about security.”
Felicity smiled and patted his shoulder. “I’m sure they’ll be fine with it. And Cisco will love coming up with a code name for you.”
Quentin rolled his eyes. “Spare me.”
“Did I hear someone needs a code name?” Quentin groaned a little as Cisco Ramon virtually bounced into the room, trailed by a tall figure hanging back in the shadows.
Cisco gave the new lair an appraising look. “Niiiiiiiiice! And you got the wiring right this time.” He grinned at Felicity before giving her a hug.
“I followed your instructions to the letter,” she told him. She glanced back at the other man, who was hovering near the display cases holding the team’s battle gear. “So, who’s your friend?”
Cisco glanced down, suddenly nervous. “Now, Felicity, promise me you won’t freak out.”
Felicity gave Cisco a quizzical look. “Whhyyyy would I freak out?” she asked slowly, her voice rising just a little on the last word. Quentin swung his legs down from the desk and narrowed his eyes.
“Because we’ve met before,” the man in the shadows drawled. “On opposite sides of a phony Cold Gun.”
Felicity stepped backwards, cueing Quentin to reach for the gun in his desk drawer as the stranger stepped into the light. He had close-cropped dark hair tinged with silver, and a hard-set face that had obviously seen its share of troubles. He wore all black, including a leather jacket that couldn’t have been comfortable in the heat outside.
“Leonard Snart,” Felicity said in a surprised voice.
The name clicked. “Snart. As in Captain Cold?” Quentin asked, rising from his chair and pointing the gun toward Snart, who raised his hands slowly. “You bring him here and tell us not to freak out, Cisco? Are you kidding me? He’s a thief and a killer!”
“Quentin…” Felicity said quietly, while Cisco exclaimed, “Whoa whoa whoa!” He stepped between the other two men, arms spread out in a placating manner. “Do you really think I’d bring a bad guy in here? Do you even know me?”
“I’m not sure, Cisco!” Quentin snapped. “I do know Snart’s forced you into things before. Joe West told me what he did to your brother.”
Snart nodded at that and said with a smirk, “Granted, I haven’t exactly been a model citizen over the years. But let me point out that I’m unarmed, and that you’ve got a gun pointed at me.”
“He’s working with us now!” Cisco protested as Quentin snarled, “And it’s gonna stay pointed at you until I get some answers!”
“Quentin!” Felicity said in a louder voice, putting her own hands up. “Just calm down for a minute! Everybody take a breath!”
She demonstrated with a deep breath of her own before turning to Snart. “I thought you were on that time travel mission with Ray and Sara,” she said. She waved a hand at Quentin. “This is her father. Is she all right? And Ray?”
Quentin was surprised by the way the smirk fled the other man’s face at the mention of Sara’s name. “As far as I know, they’re both fine, and so’s the rest of the team,” Snart answered quietly. “And as far as they know, I’m… not.”
Quentin furrowed his brow. “The last time she was here, Sara said the team had lost someone,” he remembered. “She said he died to save them. Went out a hero. That’s all she would say, but I could tell it was tearing her apart.” Sara had always been one to keep her secrets, and it seemed this man, this career criminal, might have been one of them. No wonder she hadn’t wanted to tell him more.
But still… she’d said he went out a hero. “It was you, wasn’t it? She thinks you’re dead.”
Snart lowered his hands slowly. “It’s a long story. But yeah. I’m supposed to be dead.”
“One thing we’ve learned around here,” Felicity interjected, “is that death is sometimes a temporary condition.” Then she glanced at Quentin and winced. “But not always. Sorry. I’ll shut up now.”
“You’re talking about Sara’s sister. Laurel,” Snart said in a surprisingly soft tone. At Quentin’s look, he said, “Barry told me. I heard a lot about her from Sara… before. When I was still on the Waverider. I’m sorry I couldn’t be there for Sara. And... I’m sorry for your loss.”
Playing on someone’s emotions to get their trust had to be one of the oldest tricks in the book, and if there was anything Quentin had learned in his decades as a cop, it was how to tell when a crook was playing him. There were certain tells that would give it away. There were also certain tells that would let you know when someone was completely sincere. And to Quentin’s shock, Snart was being completely sincere.
He wasn’t quite sure what to make of that. He lowered the gun and said, “Well, who knows when you’ve got time travel going on? You’re not the first dead person who’s walked in here. Maybe you won’t be the last.”
Felicity looked at him with sympathetic eyes. “Quentin…”
He waved it away. “Just let me have this little bit of hope, Felicity. It’s all I’ve got.” He took a deep breath and laid the gun down on the desk. “So, is being a bad guy also a temporary condition?”
One side of Snart’s mouth twitched up, ever so slightly. “Well, isn’t rehabilitation supposed to be one of the goals of the correctional system?”
“Iron Heights never seemed to do the trick for you,” Felicity observed.
Snart’s half smile grew just a touch. “Hatchet-faced guards and a pissant vocational training program aren’t exactly the greatest motivational tools.”
“But Sara motivated you?” Quentin asked, probing a little further.
Snart gave him a measuring look for just a moment. Obviously he’d learned to read cops just as well as Quentin had learned to read criminals. “The team motivated me,” he said at last. “And the mission.” A pause, and the half-smile faded as he said, “But yeah. It was mostly Sara.”
Quentin let out a thoughtful sigh. “You and I need to have a talk later, Mr. Snart. I want to hear your long story. And I want to hear plenty about my baby girl.”
Snart nodded silently in agreement. But there was something in his expression, so Quentin asked, “But for now, just tell me… what was Sara to you?”
Yes, there was definitely something in those blue-green eyes. Snart’s voice got a bit rough as he replied, “We never got the chance to find out.”
Quentin studied him, thinking over what he was seeing now, and what he’d seen in Sara’s eyes before she returned to her mission.
Snart might claim he didn’t know what Sara really was to him, but Quentin could see it plain as day. That look was one of heartbreak.
And his baby girl’s heart was equally broken.
The ex-cop and the (ex?)-crook regarded each other for a long moment. Cisco finally broke the silence by clapping his hands together once and rubbing them together.
“Oookaaay! We’ve got a lot of work to do, so can we all be friends now?” he asked brightly.
Quentin gave a single nod. “For Sara’s sake,” he said simply.
FANDOM: DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Arrow, Flash
CHARACTERS: Felicity Smoak, Quentin Lance, Cisco Ramon, Leonard Snart
SPOILERS: Canon compliant through the 2016 season finales for “Arrow” and Legends of Tomorrow.” Divergent from the season finale of “The Flash.”
SUMMARY: Cisco brings an unexpected guest to the Arrow lair.
AUTHOR’S NOTE: This was supposed to simply be some Quentin/Leonard interaction. Then Felicity and Cisco got in on the act. Not quite sure where this is going, so bear with me. And many thanks to Jael for looking this over multiple times.
This is part of a series called “Marking Time.” This story falls somewhere between “Dad Can Fix Anything (But Not This)” and “Not Our Song.”
The characters, as always, belong to the folks at DC Entertainment.
--
Felicity wiped nonexistent dust off her already immaculate workstation one more time, and took one more look around the newly refurbished Arrow lair.
Quentin chuckled at her. “You’ve got everything shipshape and Bristol fashion, Felicity. What are you so nervous about?”
“I’m not nervous!” Felicity protested, a bit too loudly. “But the last time we rebuilt the lair according to Cisco’s instructions, I made a big mistake with the wiring and he noticed it the moment he walked in. I want to make sure everything is just right this time, so he can focus on installing the new gear.”
“I’m sure it’s all fine,” Quentin reassured her. “So how long is this supposed to take, anyway?”
“Well, when we originally scheduled this, Cisco said it would take three or four days,” Felicity answered. “But now he says he has a new security expert who’s really helped them at S.T.A.R. Labs, and he’s bringing him along. So now he expects they’ll be finished by tomorrow night, before Oliver gets back from the conference of mayors in Washington.”
“And they’re trusting this expert with all their secrets?”
Felicity shrugged. “Cisco says it’s someone they’ve worked with before. He just joined their team full-time.”
“Well, I hope they don’t mind an unemployed cop hanging around,” Quentin said. He leaned back and put his feet up on the desk Felicity had set up for him. “I may not know much about computers, but I do know a thing or two about security.”
Felicity smiled and patted his shoulder. “I’m sure they’ll be fine with it. And Cisco will love coming up with a code name for you.”
Quentin rolled his eyes. “Spare me.”
“Did I hear someone needs a code name?” Quentin groaned a little as Cisco Ramon virtually bounced into the room, trailed by a tall figure hanging back in the shadows.
Cisco gave the new lair an appraising look. “Niiiiiiiiice! And you got the wiring right this time.” He grinned at Felicity before giving her a hug.
“I followed your instructions to the letter,” she told him. She glanced back at the other man, who was hovering near the display cases holding the team’s battle gear. “So, who’s your friend?”
Cisco glanced down, suddenly nervous. “Now, Felicity, promise me you won’t freak out.”
Felicity gave Cisco a quizzical look. “Whhyyyy would I freak out?” she asked slowly, her voice rising just a little on the last word. Quentin swung his legs down from the desk and narrowed his eyes.
“Because we’ve met before,” the man in the shadows drawled. “On opposite sides of a phony Cold Gun.”
Felicity stepped backwards, cueing Quentin to reach for the gun in his desk drawer as the stranger stepped into the light. He had close-cropped dark hair tinged with silver, and a hard-set face that had obviously seen its share of troubles. He wore all black, including a leather jacket that couldn’t have been comfortable in the heat outside.
“Leonard Snart,” Felicity said in a surprised voice.
The name clicked. “Snart. As in Captain Cold?” Quentin asked, rising from his chair and pointing the gun toward Snart, who raised his hands slowly. “You bring him here and tell us not to freak out, Cisco? Are you kidding me? He’s a thief and a killer!”
“Quentin…” Felicity said quietly, while Cisco exclaimed, “Whoa whoa whoa!” He stepped between the other two men, arms spread out in a placating manner. “Do you really think I’d bring a bad guy in here? Do you even know me?”
“I’m not sure, Cisco!” Quentin snapped. “I do know Snart’s forced you into things before. Joe West told me what he did to your brother.”
Snart nodded at that and said with a smirk, “Granted, I haven’t exactly been a model citizen over the years. But let me point out that I’m unarmed, and that you’ve got a gun pointed at me.”
“He’s working with us now!” Cisco protested as Quentin snarled, “And it’s gonna stay pointed at you until I get some answers!”
“Quentin!” Felicity said in a louder voice, putting her own hands up. “Just calm down for a minute! Everybody take a breath!”
She demonstrated with a deep breath of her own before turning to Snart. “I thought you were on that time travel mission with Ray and Sara,” she said. She waved a hand at Quentin. “This is her father. Is she all right? And Ray?”
Quentin was surprised by the way the smirk fled the other man’s face at the mention of Sara’s name. “As far as I know, they’re both fine, and so’s the rest of the team,” Snart answered quietly. “And as far as they know, I’m… not.”
Quentin furrowed his brow. “The last time she was here, Sara said the team had lost someone,” he remembered. “She said he died to save them. Went out a hero. That’s all she would say, but I could tell it was tearing her apart.” Sara had always been one to keep her secrets, and it seemed this man, this career criminal, might have been one of them. No wonder she hadn’t wanted to tell him more.
But still… she’d said he went out a hero. “It was you, wasn’t it? She thinks you’re dead.”
Snart lowered his hands slowly. “It’s a long story. But yeah. I’m supposed to be dead.”
“One thing we’ve learned around here,” Felicity interjected, “is that death is sometimes a temporary condition.” Then she glanced at Quentin and winced. “But not always. Sorry. I’ll shut up now.”
“You’re talking about Sara’s sister. Laurel,” Snart said in a surprisingly soft tone. At Quentin’s look, he said, “Barry told me. I heard a lot about her from Sara… before. When I was still on the Waverider. I’m sorry I couldn’t be there for Sara. And... I’m sorry for your loss.”
Playing on someone’s emotions to get their trust had to be one of the oldest tricks in the book, and if there was anything Quentin had learned in his decades as a cop, it was how to tell when a crook was playing him. There were certain tells that would give it away. There were also certain tells that would let you know when someone was completely sincere. And to Quentin’s shock, Snart was being completely sincere.
He wasn’t quite sure what to make of that. He lowered the gun and said, “Well, who knows when you’ve got time travel going on? You’re not the first dead person who’s walked in here. Maybe you won’t be the last.”
Felicity looked at him with sympathetic eyes. “Quentin…”
He waved it away. “Just let me have this little bit of hope, Felicity. It’s all I’ve got.” He took a deep breath and laid the gun down on the desk. “So, is being a bad guy also a temporary condition?”
One side of Snart’s mouth twitched up, ever so slightly. “Well, isn’t rehabilitation supposed to be one of the goals of the correctional system?”
“Iron Heights never seemed to do the trick for you,” Felicity observed.
Snart’s half smile grew just a touch. “Hatchet-faced guards and a pissant vocational training program aren’t exactly the greatest motivational tools.”
“But Sara motivated you?” Quentin asked, probing a little further.
Snart gave him a measuring look for just a moment. Obviously he’d learned to read cops just as well as Quentin had learned to read criminals. “The team motivated me,” he said at last. “And the mission.” A pause, and the half-smile faded as he said, “But yeah. It was mostly Sara.”
Quentin let out a thoughtful sigh. “You and I need to have a talk later, Mr. Snart. I want to hear your long story. And I want to hear plenty about my baby girl.”
Snart nodded silently in agreement. But there was something in his expression, so Quentin asked, “But for now, just tell me… what was Sara to you?”
Yes, there was definitely something in those blue-green eyes. Snart’s voice got a bit rough as he replied, “We never got the chance to find out.”
Quentin studied him, thinking over what he was seeing now, and what he’d seen in Sara’s eyes before she returned to her mission.
Snart might claim he didn’t know what Sara really was to him, but Quentin could see it plain as day. That look was one of heartbreak.
And his baby girl’s heart was equally broken.
The ex-cop and the (ex?)-crook regarded each other for a long moment. Cisco finally broke the silence by clapping his hands together once and rubbing them together.
“Oookaaay! We’ve got a lot of work to do, so can we all be friends now?” he asked brightly.
Quentin gave a single nod. “For Sara’s sake,” he said simply.