[Chapter 28]

"You think Hunter can pull this off?" Mick asked Hex as we stood in town and waited for the gang that took Jax to show up.

"Reasonably. If not, I got dibs on that new-fangled revolver of his," Hex said as a group of horses rode into town. I spot Jax sitting on a horse in the middle of the group with ropes around him.

"You sure about this?" Ray asked Rip uncertainly.

"Well, if anything, it feels good to be out here again, in this era," Rip replies.

"Well, don't get too attached," Ray states.

"That is what I keep telling myself," Rip whispered to himself as Leonard points his weapon at the gang.

"I'll be drawing for Sheriff Palmer," Rip called out to them. I honestly don't understand what he means. I have no love for the old west.

"How do me and my boys know you're going to keep your word?" The leader asks gruffly.

"Sheriff Palmer's a straight shooter," Leonard replies.

"Then he should be the one in the street," The gang leader replies and I nearly laugh. I honestly can't see Ray killing someone. No matter how 'evil' they are inside.

Rip and the gang leader walk into the middle of the street and stood face to face for a few moments before both drawing their weapons.

Everything went dead silent. I half expected an eagle to screech or something to break the silence. It felt as if the whole town was holding their breath. The standoff felt like it was taking forever.

Just when I was gonna shout for Rip to hurry his ass up, our captain took the first shot and killed the gang leader. The surprised gang reluctantly returned Jax to us.

"Jefferson, are you all right?" Stein asks frantically.

"Yeah, did you just shoot somebody for me?" Jax asks Rip as the gang grabbed their leader and rode off with their defeat.

"Yeah. You're welcome," Rip said.

"I don't think we're done here yet," I say walking forward with Sara as a group of armed men came walking into town.

"Oh, no. They found us," Rip said looking at the Hunters.

"Ah, friends! Welcome," Mick said grinning as the hunters started shooting at us.

"I think you'll find this slightly more effective than your current sidearm. Yes, I will be wanting that back, by the way," Rip said handing Hex a laser gun.

"And you'll be needing this," Rip said handing Ray his suit.

"What about revealing our future tech to the locals?" Ray asks

"It doesn't seem to bother them. Shall we?" Stein asked as Jax and they merged to form Firestorm. Kendra took flight and I race forward. Sara tosses me a knife and I smile at her and catch it. She pulls out her expandable baton and we split up.

"What about our guns?" Leonard asked as I attacked one of the hunters and tackled him to the ground.

"Sorry. Grabbed what I could," Rip replied as he shot one of the hunters who was about to shoot me.

"That's what's up! Y'all better stay the hell away from us!" Jax said as he blew up of the hunters.

"Calm down Jefferson," Martian chastises. I throw the knife into a hunter that was targeting me but another one quickly took his place.

"Wow, you guys are really eager to die," I say, calling on air, my eyes changing color. I made a waving motion with my hand and the hunter flew back into one that was attacking Ray. Then I was thrown into a wall by one of the hunters and Mick punched him in the face.

"Traitor!" the hunter accused.

"Not possible. I was never on your side. I was on my side," Mick replied.

Kendra tossed a hunter towards me and I kicked him in the head, knocking his helmet off. I then tossed him towardsMick before jumping on a hunter who was about to attack Leonard from behind. I grabbed his head and broke his neck easily. Leonard spun around, shocked, and looked at me.

"You'll never win!" The unmasked helmet said to Mick, who was choking the hunter.

"Wake up, pal. We already did," Mick replied before getting elbowed in the face. Mick grabs the hunter's sword and slices into his side. Mich then shoved him into a wooden fence and stabs him in the shoulder.

"Fool. The Time Masters have initiated Omega Protocol. The Pilgrim's coming for you, Chronos. Your deaths are just a matter of time," The hunter said as he died.

"Yeah, yeah," Mick said simply as the team took down the rest of the hunters and gathered.

"Well, that was easy," Mick said us.

"That was fun," I added smirking.

Rip walked up to Hex, who was saddling up a horse.

"You're not staying." Rip said.

"Are you?" Jonah asks.

"Me? You know I can't. But this town still needs a sheriff." Rip said as he looked up at Jonah.

"Well, I'm not the law-and-order type nor the staying-in-one-place type either," Jonah replies.

"Well, we have that much in common at least." Rip said.

"At least," Jonah replies with a bit of a smile.

"Be well, Jonah." Rip told him.

"Nice thing about my world for you, it ain't going anywhere," Jonah replies.

"Ah, perhaps we will see each other again, my friend." Rip said hopefully.

"Yeah. I reckon that'd be okay." Jonah said before riding off.

"Interesting fella," Leonard said walking over to Rip as Hex rode off.

"Indeed," Rip replies.

"This town's seen a lot of interesting. Suppose you got one of those doohickies that erases people's memories or something?" Leonard asks.

"No. But... skepticism and disbelief are a far more effective tool," Rip replies.

"Ah. So, if anybody here talks, no one will believe them," Leonard asserts.

"Would you, Mr. Snart?" Rip asked.

*On the Waverider*

"So how are you feeling, given your concerns about becoming addicted to this era once again?" Stein asks Rip.

"The last time I left, Martin, I did it to be with those closest to me. I'm doing the same again," Rip explains.

"So where to now?" Leonard asks

"Or, more specifically, when?" Sara adds.

"Is there another Fragmentation we can hide out in?" Kendra asks.

"Unfortunately, matters are not quite so simple," Rip said.

"How'd I know you were gonna say something like that?" I ask sarcastically.

"Rip's buddies..." Mick starts.

"And yours," Ray interrupts.

"The Time Masters have issued Omega Protocols on all of us," Mick explains.

"That sounds pretty terrible," Ray said.

"The worst kind of order they can issue... they've sent the Pilgrim after us," Mick reveals.

"Who's the Pilgrim?" Jax asks.

"The Pilgrim is the Time Masters' most deadly assassin, and she will stop at nothing until each and every one of you are dead," Rip explains dramatically.

"Ooh, scary. Pretty sure we can handle ourselves," Leonard said confidently, looking over at me and I couldn't help myself but smile.

"Indeed...which is why she won't be going after the present-day versions of you," Rip explains.

"She's hunting our younger selves. And she won't stop until each and every one of us has been erased from the timeline," Mick explains.

***

I wandered throughout the Waverider when I realize I was by Leonard's room. I felt my heart racing and I let out a shaky breath. Maybe I should take Kendra's advice. I hesitantly knocked on his door.

"Can I come in?" I asked as Leonard looked at me with slight surprise. He nodded silently. I walked in and closed the door, leaning against it. We stare at each other in silence but I decided to break the silence.

"How could you? Why did you do it?" I ask, almost whispering.

"I couldn't let you make the biggest mistake of your life," Leonard replies.

"How could that have been a mistake? I was saving my family," I say.

"You would have destroyed the present. And in doing so, you could have destroyed yourself. I couldn't let that happen."

"Because..." I prompt.

Leonard stands up and grabs my hands.

"Because I'm so in love with you that I can't imagine life without your stubborn ass," Leonard replies.

"I'm not going to thank you if that's what you're expecting," I say and he smiles.

"See, stubborn," Leonard laughs.

Then he kisses me. I feel my heart thrumming against my chest as Leonard pulls me closer to him. I kiss him back but break away just to say something.

"Thank you," I smile, our foreheads resting together and my arms wrapped around his neck.

"You're welcome," Leonard says and I pull him in for a more passionate kiss.