[Chapter 39]

My eyes are squeezed tightly shut against the world, but something feels horribly wrong. Something's not right. I thought death takes away pain and suffering. I thought I would be at peace. But...

I feel exactly the same.

Except Isabelle is not by my side.

"Leonard?" I hear... Sara ask. Oh god, please don't tell me we all died.

"Leonard!" I hear Sara shout again and I crack open my eyes. Hell looks just like...

The Waverider?!

"Leonard how did you get here?!" Sara yells in my face but I don't answer her. I can't answer her. All I'm thinking about is one thing.

Isabelle. Isabelle. Isabelle.

"What happened? Where's Isabelle?" I ask, panicked.

"That's precisely what we were about to ask you Mr. Snart," Rip replies and the pieces connect in my head.

"No," I gasped. "No. She.. couldn't have. She wouldn't."

I tore off the ring Isabelle gave me, the one that belonged to her brother, and clenched it so tightly in my fist, I believed I bent the metal.

"She teleported me here, right before the blast," I whispered, in pain and agony. She's gone. She's gone. She's gone.

The group fell into an uncomfortable silence. An unbearable one.

"We have to go back and change it. Right now Rip," I demand but Rip slowly shakes his head.

"We cannot go back to events that we have already participated in. It will cause catastrophic damage to the timeline-"

"Screw the timeline! We can't let her die. I... can't let her die," I shout but Rip just looked at me with pity and sadness in his eyes.

"We must honor her sacrifice. She chose this. She wanted you to live," Sara murmured and the rest of the legends nodded in agreement, but I couldn't believe it. I didn't want to believe it.

She's gone. She's gone. She's gone.

"She left this for you," Rip said softly, and handed me a familiar journal. The one that Isabelle has had for most of her existence, her method for reviving the memories that she lost, no... that the Time Masters stole from her. My heart shattered when I took it.

I opened it up to find entities of all of our journeys to become legends in there. And little special moments as well. The team breakfast, our dance, the battle in the Wild West, all of it.

I slid open the page where two letters were hidden. One had Sara's name on it, and the other had mine.

I wordlessly handed Sara her letter and carefully opened mine.

Dear Leonard,

If you're reading this, it means... that somehow I'm dead.

After you had left my room to gear up, that horrible nagging feeling that something is going to go horribly wrong was stronger than ever. I don't believe in a god but even if I did, I'm afraid he left me a long time ago.

I am not a good person. I'm not a good friend. I push people away because my heart mourns for enough of them. But somehow, you managed to meddle your way in. The whole team did, but you more than most.

I care for you so much that I refuse to lose you. Which is the purpose of this letter. It means that I sacrifice myself so that you could all live. I've been prepared for this for weeks now. Something bad is going to happen today, I can feel it in my bones.

But I still can't help but hold out hope that my curse that had kept me alive for so long will be a gift this time around. To bring me back to you. But if not, I'm at peace. I've finally learned how to live with the loss of my siblings and for all of the people I have killed since then. Wherever I go when I leave the Earth, no matter if it's heaven or hell or even the next life in the spin of the wheel of fate, I'll be okay. I'm writing this letter to make sure you will be okay.

I don't know how things will turn out in the end, but if you have my body, please take the rings. Please give my sister's ring to Sara and return Johnathon's ring to him. Please tell him I'm at peace. You can call him by holding the ring in your hand.

Please keep my ring and my brother's ring with you always. I don't want anyone other than you to have them.

I am sorry... that it ended this way. I wish we had more time. But I would rather you lived. And that's what I want you to do. Live your life however you want. Don't do things half-heartedly and make sure you live life to the fullest. As a thief, or a hero, as whatever you want. But do it as you. All of you.

My brother told me a story once. That since Elementals control the elements, they return there. I guess if that's true, know that I'll always watch over you. I'll be in the trees, and Mick's flames, in the breeze, and in the snow.

I love you. I'll always love you.

Forever yours,

Isabelle

Tears were spilling down my cheeks uncontrollably. I don't even care if I have an audience.

"The rings..." Sara murmured.

Her rings. All gone. Except for one. The one on my finger.

I slammed the journal down on the table and wretched the ring off. The silver was startling and pure as it always was.

"Leonard," Sara started softly and reached into her pocket. "She said something to me. To tell you." Carefully, as though it were made of glass, she pulled out Isabelle's ring and pushed it softly into my hand.

"She knew she wasn't going to make it. Not without the rings. She knew this was her time. Her payment for everything she'd done. She was ready to give it all up, if it meant that you could live."

I didn't know where I was going. I just had to get out of there. I heard the others call for me but I didn't care for them. I didn't care for anyone.

She can't be gone. I need to go back. I need to go back and tell her I love her. To protect her and bring her back with me.

Because I don't want to be anywhere at all if she's not by my side.

I found myself at her door and barged in. I was angry and upset. Probably not even thinking straight.

But all those emotions became nothing but shock when I walked inside of Isabelle's room.

Because standing there, dressed in her black leather outfit to go kick the Time Masters asses, weapons nowhere near as deadly or sharp as her power and her mind.

Isabelle. My Isabelle.

"Leonard?" she asked confusedly. "Are you alright? What happened? Are you... crying?"

I couldn't find the words to reply. I just sweeped her into my arms bridal style and pressed my lips to hers.

She felt real. She sounded real. She tasted real.

But is it really?

"Hey, what's wrong?" she asked me softly and I just let out a relieved laugh.

"Nothing. Nothing at all. You're okay," I say, not willing to let Isabelle go.

"Of course I'm okay! I'm ready to kick the Time Masters asses and to drink until I can't think any more!" she cheered and I couldn't help but smile. She sounded so real. I couldn't help but ask.

"Are you..." I took in a sharp breath. "Are you really real?"

"Of course I'm real! Have you broken into the bourbon without me?" Isabelle pointed an accusing finger at me and I batted it away.

"No... I think your worries have rubbed off on me." I can't tell her she dies. Did she die? Now I don't know. "Your elemental rings, can a human wield their power?"

Isabelle frowned and started braiding her dark hair with light ends back in an intricate braid.

"I think you could use an elemental's rings if the owner is dead. I'm not sure for humans but that's how it works for me. I guess if you wanted to, you could go back a few hours using my brother's ring."

That hit me like a stone. I was clutching her brother's ring when I was running from the bridge. Did I really...?

"Would that have any implications on the timeline?" I asked.

"No. It's different from mechanical time travelling. It's elemental magic. When you go back, you assume the body that you had during that time." Isabelle replies and I look down.

Sure enough, all of my cuts were non-existent and my jacket was unscated. Isabelle's rings were back on her fingers.

"You didn't happen to go back in time, did you?" Isabelle asked suspiciously.

"No, no I was just curious." I replied as convincingly as I could. Even if Isabelle could sniff a lie from a mile away.

But she just shrugged and grabbed my hand.

"Come on then Curious George. We've got an Oculus to destroy."

***

Everything happened as it had before. As much as I didn't want to, I was forced to take care of the outside instead of protecting Isabelle inside.

My heart fell when I saw Rip and Ray rush out of the inside of the Time Masters building without Mick or Isabelle following. Some part of me wished that it wouldn't happen again. That by some miracle, Ray would be able to destroy the Oculus.

I wordlessly ran inside, ignoring Rip's words of protest, Sara close on my heels.

I saw Isabelle and Mick on the raised dais with soldiers coming up behind them. I shot them quickly down and raced to the dais as fast as I could.

"Mick!" I yelled, fury lining my words.

"Get out of here!" Mick yelled back, just as he did last time.

Sparks flew from where a soldier shot and Isabelle quickly shot him down.

"Not without you Mick." I yell, having a horrible feeling of deja vu.

"Pretty boy said I gotta hold this stick for the ship to blow. So I'm holding this stick. Now leave!"

"My old friend, please forgive me," I said so softly, exactly as I had before.

"For what?"

I struck in his head, knocking him out. Then I swiftly took Mick's place just as Sara came up to us.

"What are you doing?!" Isabelle cried out, her violet eyes wide in shock.

"Get him out of here!" I shouted at both her and Sara, hoping that this time she would listen..

"No." Sara said, slightly choking on the word.

"Just do it." I replied and looked at Isabelle, willing her to understand that I wanted her to live. Her face contorted in agony and I hated being the cause of it, but I'd rather she would live than die here with me.

Most of all, I didn't want her to pull the same trick as last time.

"Don't do this to me," I yell, my voice breaking at the end. "Don't do this to me again. You are not dying in my place. You are not giving up your one chance to survive."

Isabelle looked at me with confusion, before realisation dawned on her face.

"You went back. You went back in time for me?"

"I can't live without you. It doesn't matter what you said in the letter. If you die, I have nothing. I have no reason to live my life to the fullest, because I'll always be empty without you!"

I turned away, a silent command to go. When I glanced back to see if she left, my heart fell when I saw only Mick and Sara disappearing down the hall.

"What are you still doing here?" I yell at her.

"I'm not leaving you." She replies steadily, coming over to my side.

"No," I whisper. Not again.

"We'll do this together, no tricks, no schemes. If you go, I go," She put her hand over mine that was holding the failsafe in place and tucked herself in my side. I pulled her closer against me, shielding her from what would happen, and I could feel the emotions that threatened to break through and scream at her to leave.

Isabelle saw this and kissed me, soft and sweet, and wrapped her other arm around my waist.

"If you're going to die, I'm gonna die with you. I love you," She whispered, her voice revealing her hidden tears. I kiss the top of her head and memorize everything about her.

"I love you. Wherever we go, we go together." I promise.

Even though my heart was begging me to send her away, to force her to go and live, I wouldn't. Maybe I was being selfish, or even afraid of what comes after death, but I don't want to be anywhere if she's not going to be there beside me. I glanced quickly down at her hand and my heart let out a little sigh of relief, she still has her rings on. Which means it's all up to faith, and I would have it no other way.

"No, shut it down!" Druce yelled at us. Soldiers aimed their weapons at us, ready to shoot.

"SHUT IT DOWN!" Druce roared in fury.

"There are no strings on us." I hissed, quoting myself from earlier.

Isabelle turned her furious glare from the Time Master and instead looked into my eyes. Her beautiful, unique violet eyes.

We lifted our hands from the failsafe and held them together, before fire erupted all around us and we entered the unknown.

Together.