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Chapter Text

Although professionally, Sara Lance appreciated dresses with a low decolletage and big skirts for their ability to provide distraction and places to hide extra weapons, in February the former was downright chilly and on a train in 1861, the latter made it hard to move fast.

As she moved forward toward the president-elect's carriage, her earbud told her that Zari and Mick had cut the telegraph lines to Baltimore, and that Nate and Ray were bringing the horsedrawn carriage around to convey Mr. Lincoln across town to the Camden Street Station.

And this was where Sara brought out some of the other weapons in her arsenal: the fluttering eyelashes, the fan. Lincoln was putty in her hands.

Within the hour, the Legends had delivered Lincoln into Allan Pinkerton's hands so he could get him to the inauguration on time and whole.

//

As the Legends piled onto the Waverider, Sara pulled off her bonnet and ran her hands through her freed hair. She poured herself a warming glass of scotch, saying, "Gideon, report, please. How is the timeline looking?"

"Well, Captain," Gideon hedged, because part of being an AI was knowing when to act human. "The anomaly that the crew went to eradicate from the nineteenth century is well and duly eradicated. You have successfully protected the timeline. The American Civil War is back on shedule and the North wins again..."

And, because part of being a captain was knowing how to hear what someone (computer or living) wasn't saying, Sara said, "Gideon, why do you sound distracted? Are you saying that there is a new anomaly in a different century? Did we cause this?"

"Yes, Captain. I mean, no captain. Both, really."

"Gideon..." said Nate. Gideon knew he fancied himself a ladies man.

"I'm sorry, Captain. There's been a new problem almost two centuries in the future. It's 2035. Fort Knox is being robbed by an anomaly, but he isn't our usual type of anomaly. He is a future root of a past anomaly, because of quantum."

They all turned to Ray Palmer. "Well," he said uncertainly, "in quantum mechanics the whole idea that cause has to precede effect is... just one of several theories of what we might like to call causality."

Mick Rory grunted. The rest of the (considerably) smarter team looked relieved that someone had articulated what they were thinking--and so accurately, no less.

"Exactly," said Gideon. "But there are other theories, such as the Multiple Causal Trouser Interference Theory, or the Reverse Multiple Causal--"

Even an AI can see when nobody is following her reasoning. "Let me start again. You are all familiar with the idea of the multiverse theory? That there may be infinite universes where everything that can happen, does happen, somewhere?"

"Like a world where it's always Wednesday?" asked Nate.

"Or where there's no shrimp?" asked Zari, who was allergic.

"Or only shrimp!" said Mick, who really wasn't.

"Exactly!" said Gideon. "And in this universe there are moments when someone makes a crucial decision, which could cause them to go down one of two of the legs of the Trousers of Time, the leg that should have happened, and the one that totally changes the Timeline, often catastrophically."

"Okay..." said Sarah. "And the multiple part? And the reverse part?"

Gideon warmed to the captain, who always grasped the essential information. "The multiple part means sometimes a decision could open up more than one possible leg. You must remember that some of the theorizing on time was done by octopods, so..."

"Got it," said Zari. "More than two legs are a theoretical option."

"So the reverse part simply means that sometimes a crucial future event may cause multiple past events."

"Wait--" said Mick, but Sara cut in.

"I got this, Rory. Gideon. So we have a theft at Fort Knox in 2035. What kind of guess do you have about what might have caused this?"

"It appears that the individual who transported all the gold out of the fort's confines was... Lex Luthor's son?"

Mick popped the top on a beer. "I thought he got thirty-eight life sentences. When's he got time to do the dirty?"

"It appears that he was pardoned in 2025. I am looking for the causal node right now."

Sara shuddered as the scotch burned her throat and coughed as Gideon said, "Oh, dear..."

"Gideon?"

"I can't find Supergirl in the timeline. There's a Wondergirl... And James Olsen still lives in Metropolis. And it looks like Superman... is going to retire?"

Nate asked, "What caused the changes to the timeline?"

"There is an event that happened in 2018, in Metropolis USA, the explosion of a Time Bomb. That is where I believe we should start."

"A time bomb?" said Mick. "Why would that--"

As also often happened, the team followed the logical thread just a little faster than Mick. "Not that kind of Time Bomb."

"Metropolis..." said Sara slowly.

"Yes," said Gideon. "You see the problem. The event is the wedding of Clark Kent and Lois Lane. And...or? Another bomb at the reception? And possibly an assassin that got captured. We could be dealing with multiple causalities. I will try to narrow it down while you're dealing with it in real time. I suggest you start at the wedding."

"Okay," said Sara. "We'll figure this out on the way. Gideon, get us to the church on time."

"Right away, Captain Lance."

Chapter Text

Just When You Thought It Was Safe To Go Back in the Water

Lex was a talker. Jimmy knew that. Lex loved nothing more than the sound of his own voice. So for the hour or so that Lex and his strange assistant had him hanging in the leather harness, Jimmy didn't bother to try to free himself. As long as Lex was talking, Jimmy was in no danger. And even though he had not had a chance to hit the alert on the watch Clark had given him, he had no doubt that his best friend knew that he was in danger. There was a lot to be said for dating a hyper-on-time soldier who had Superman on speed-dial. So although the harness was starting to chafe, he hung there, listening to Lex talk.

"You see what I'm saying, Jimmy Boy? Now a man and a woman, that's old hat, whether you're talking about Romeo and Juliet or the MacBeths. But a man and his bro? That's something you can count on!"

He went on and on like that and for the most part Jimmy let it go over his head, but when they were letting Jimmy down, he looked around and realized that the lights that were hitting the disco ball were green. Bright kryptonite green. And Lex was flipping Jimmy's watch open and hitting the S. And sliding the watch off his arm and leaving it in the middle of the sickly green room. And then a needle in his neck. And then nothing.

//

The next time he woke again, Jimmy was once more hanging from some kind of harness. Only this time he was not looking down at a scuffed black dance floor. He was looking down at a pool of water and something large and dark was swimming around down there. Jimmy Olsen was many things--a good photographer, a good friend, a terrible pool player. But he was not a fool. Lex Luthor would not have hung Superman's best friend over a pool that was the home of something small and safe, like a goldfish.

When he heard the concrete break above him, he thought, Now, I am going to die.

It was not a peaceful thought.

The flash of red and blue caught him and tore him out of the harness just as an enormous grey body leapt up, all sharp teeth and angry black eyes.

And they were flying through the air and Lex was screaming his head off. The splash was loud even from a hundred yards above what had to be the aquarium (with a new Superman-shaped roof entrance).

"You okay, Jimmy?"

"Clark! But Lex set a trap for you. He knew about my watch. There's kryptonite! And a disco ball, for some reason..."

Superman landed on the pier and put Jimmy down. "Yeah, I have some friends going to get your watch back and collect the kryptonite. Lex is so incredibly predictable sometimes."

Jimmy looked around and saw Lucy in her black tactical gear leading out the colonial guy and some of Lex's other thugs, but there was no sign of Lex.

Superman's phone dinged. Jimmy saw him take the phone out of his boot and grin. It was a Facebook post.

"Cl-- Superman. Seriously. Facebook, at a time like this?"

Superman grinned and showed him the phone. It was Lena Luthor's page. She had just updated to "in a relationship" and the picture was of Lena and Sarah Waters.

"Okay," said Jimmy, wiping water off his arms. "I don't get it."

"Lex isn't the only one who knows how to bait a trap."

//

The DEO trucks made a caravan around the MPD truck that was headed out of Metropolis to the supermax prison that would hold Lex Luthor as he awaited trial. Once, a kind, brilliant young man of promise, now he was just one more criminal in an orange jumpsuit. But he had made his choices and now he would have to live with them.

Several blocks away, James Olsen hefted the last of the boxes into the U-Haul truck and pulled the door down and locked it. Lucy stood on the sidewalk looking on.

He looked at her. "If you don't think this is the right move, say so now."

She tried to hold it in, but couldn't. "All this time, these past few months, I thought you were pulling away. I know you've been looking into jobs in National City. I never expected this." She looked at the ring on her left hand again, and the sun obliged by making the large diamond sparkle.

"I figured out what I wanted," said Jimmy Olsen. "It's you, Lucy."

//

When You Have to Make a Choice

There was a shift, breaking news. "If you're just joining us, shortly after takeoff, National City Airlines Flight 237 bound for Geneva is experiencing some loss of altitude. The pilot seems to be circling the city after apparent engine failure. Again, we have no information--"

"Did he say Geneva? Alex!"

Kara ran out of the bar. Sirens were splitting the night and far above National City's skyscrapers, an airplane like a comet was flying low, leaving a trail of fire in its wake. Kara tore off her glasses and narrowed her eyes, looking through buildings and inside the airplane, where, yes, Alex was looking tense, but helping another woman in the seat beside her.

Kara dove into a blind alley, pulling off her jacket and throwing it into a puddle. She ran and tried jumping into the air but the once-familiar action was no longer muscle memory as it had been when she and Alex had sneaked out for night flights. She kept running, Alex the only thing on her mind, and this time when she leaped, her whole body became a torpedo bolting into the night sky.

She chased the plane, to assess the damage. It was only flaring off one side, the right wing, so she probably just needed to blow out the fire and guide it--

But then the left engine blew and fire was coming from both sides. She could hear the pilot shouting, "We just lost another engine! Mayday, mayday!" She could hear Alex's heartbeat speed up, although compared to the heartbeats of the men and women surrounding her, hers was almost calm, but Kara would set aside that observation for another time.

There was no time. The left engine broke free and Kara had to cross her arms in front of her face to block the explosive equipment, sending it into fragments that she hoped would do less damage when they hit the ground than the whole engine would have done.

People on the ground were screaming in panic. Passengers on the plane were screaming in panic. The pilot yelled, "Flight attendants, brace for impact!"

But Kara surged forward and grabbed the right wing, trying to steady the plane's flight, slow its descent, anything--

A glance toward the body of the plane showed Alex looking out the window, eyes wide and Kara ducked. She couldn't lose focus. But simply guiding the plane by the wing wasn't enough. She ducked down and flew to the plane's underbelly, trying to steady it with both hands, but this meant that she was seeing the world upside down while bearing the tons of weight moving at speed.

She strained. It was worth it when she heard the pilot say in disbelief, "We're leveling off!"

And that gave Kara a spurt of joy.

//

Unlike most IT guys whose gadgets only manipulated information or images, Winn had a portable sewing machine that he set up in Kara's apartment as they tried out different styles for her superhero costume.

The first one... wasn't her favorite. Red short shorts and a blue crop top had seemed (to him) like a good idea at the time, but she came out and modeled it and said, "I am not flying around saving people in this thing. I wouldn't even wear it to the beach. Where's my cape?"

"Capes are lame! Tell your cousin I said so. Actually, never, never do that."

The second one was better: a short red skirt, a tight long-sleeved blue top with a yellow belt in between. She marched up to him barefoot, fidgeting with her glasses. He stared. She took the glasses off.

He stared some more. "You, um, look really pretty without your glasses."

"Winn..."

"Right! To be a superhero, you need a crime. So I hacked into the NCPD. There's a car chase on the 112 Freeway."

"I could do a car chase!"

Well, Kara had thought she could do a car chase. How hard could it be? She just had to follow the police car's siren, flying just a bit above, and pop out ahead of it to stop the car with the perps inside. Right?

Wrong. A double bridge changed the speed and direction of the crosswinds, sending Kara into the mound of dirt, leaving her body print behind for the police to figure out after the fact.

Winn finished sewing the bright red cape, draping it over Kara's shoulders, saying, "A cape helps with aerodynamics! I should have thought of that."

//

It took Kara time: time to fly back to National City, change back into a pink shirt and red pants that made her feel less exposed as a superhero. Time to get a soy latte and hurry to CatCo. Time to worry about her sister and her sister's boss. Time to wonder about how her day was likely to only get worse.

When she reached the top floor, the story on all the TV screens was all about how Cat Grant had named the new mystery female superhero.... Wondergirl.

Not Wonderwoman. Not Steelwoman. Wondergirl. Kara's jaw dropped and she stormed into Cat's office, tossed down her bag and Cat's breakfast, and yelled, "Wondergirl? We can't name her that!"

Cat spun around in her chair and spread her arms over her desk. "We. Didn't."

Kara's sense of self-preservation kicked in belatedly. "Right. Uh. Sorry. It's just, uh, I just don't want to minimize the importance of this! A female superhero! Shouldn't she be called Wonder...Woman?"

"Sorry, darling, I just can't hear you over the loud color of your cheap pants."

Kara began to pace anxiously. "If we call her Wondergirl, something less than what she is, doesn't that make us guilty of being anti-feminist? Didn't you say she was a hero?"

Cat finally looked up. "I'm the hero. I stuck a label on the side of this girl I branded her. She'll forever be linked to CatCo, to the Tribune, to me. And what do you think is so wrong with the word 'girl'? I'm girl. And your boss, and successful, and rich, and hot, and smart. So if you perceive Wondergirl as anything less than excellent, isn't the real problem you?"

Kara couldn't think of a thing to say.

//

When Clark Kent and Jimmy Olsen traveled to National City together, their main mission had been to figure out who this new female superhero was. She wore a black mask over her face and her hair seemed to be reddish. The pictures were never particularly high res--one of the reasons why Clark had been adamant that Jimmy join them.

But then something Cat Grant had said about Lex's sister and her new alien detection device had given Clark pause, so the two men had gone to interview her. And Clark was usually good with people, but maybe, just maybe he hadn't handled that so well.

She released the device the next day. Three days and hundreds of newspaper stories later, the NCPD's jails were filled with humans facing aggravated assault charges and aliens facing charges for resisting arrest. Clark could only blame Lena Luthor, and yet, when her helicopter had been targeted by drones and was falling out of the sky, he couldn't not save her--and by extension, her pilot and anyone the helicopter's destruction would have endangered.

The whole thing was confusing and depressing. And so, after reporting on the President's Alien Deportation Act, Clark had dragged Jimmy back home with him. Metropolis was just a better place to be these days.

Chapter Text

Alex lugged her suitcase to the rental car and Kara easily put both their suitcases in the back. She noticed that Alex was uncharacteristically carrying a large purse.

"Alex, are you changing your style?"

Her sister grunted. "Can't wear a thigh holster with a dress."

They got in front and Alex drove east from National City. She didn't like airplanes anymore, and Kara could hardly fly them with their suitcases.

"It's not like anything's going to happen at Clark and Lois's wedding."

"What about Lex?"

"He's in prison."

"Pfft. Like that's ever stopped him. Besides, he and Lois have a ton of enemies who aren't supervillains."

"And he'll be well protected. Bruce and Diana will be there, so if worse comes to worse, Batman and Wonder Woman can leap in!"

"And Wondergirl," said Alex.

Kara froze and adjusted her glasses. "Um, who? Oh, that new girl."

"Kara, please. The disguise is good, but Firestarter punched your mask off in that warehouse. I know my own sister. I don't think Maggie noticed, but the police are calling Wondergirl a dangerous vigilante, especially since she stopped rescuing Fluffy the snake and started protecting aliens."

"The aliens need to be protected. Ever since Lex's sister released that device..."

They both contemplated the past few weeks, the streets of National City running blue and green with blood and black with ichor.

"Somebody's got to do something," said Kara firmly, in a deeper voice than Alex normally ever heard her use.

"Somebody is," said Alex dreamily. "The NCPD Science Division is working to protect them. You should meet my friend, Maggie Sawyer--I mean meet her as you you, not Wondergirl you. You guys would really get along."

Chapter Text

The rehearsal dinner was small, and much less awkward than Lois had anticipated. The Danvers and the Lanes got along decently, and if anybody had noticed that the comped wine the handsome waiter poured for them all made Clark gush more than usual about how helpful his best man Jimmy Olsen had been during all the preparations and helping Clark with his nervousness, yes, okay, cold feet, no one said anything. Lucy deflected any problematical comments, to Lois's pleased surprise.

It didn't occur to Lois until later to wonder how human alcohol could have affected her alien fiancé, but then she was drinking it too, and only fuzzily thought, well of course Clark was usually a teetotaler, so of course a little would go a long way.

It was only the next morning, when Lucy was giving her a hair-of-the-dog bloody Mary that it occurred to her how little logical sense that actually made.

//

The following morning, in the hotel room they shared, Kara and Alex stood side by side in the bathroom, applying their makeup.

Alex sighed, "Always the bridesmaid, never the bride."

"Or even girlfriend," sighed Kara. "Don't worry, Sis. We'll have rocking chairs together when we're old and a pair of badass spinsters."

Alex smiled and nodded, not saying that Kryptonians lived a lot longer than humans.

//

Lois stood pacing in her room on the fifth floor, three stories above Clark and most of the others. The dress was white (something new) and came to calf level--all the better for running in. It wasn't the look she'd dreamt of as a little girl, but having been kidnapped by Lex Luthor thirty-nine times in the last fourteen years, she figured it made sense to combine style with pragmatism. Her white heels were low and comfortable (something old). Her necklace, a tiny sapphire pentagon, was a wedding present from Eliza Danvers, who had been nothing but kind to her over the years (something blue).

There was a knock on her door. She opened it to see her sister looking surprisingly non-soldier-like in the floral bridesmaid's dress. "Did you get my text?" Lois asked.

"Of course. Jimmy is sitting down with Clark as we speak, talking him off the ledge. Oh, and I have something for you. But I'll want it back."

She tucked a lacy white handkerchief into the small space of Lois's decolletage. "On the off chance that the Woman of Steel is capable of crying. Now, come on. Let's get you to the church on time." (something borrowed)

Chapter Text

Ray set the parameters for the Metropolis police uniforms and weapons, waiters, dresses for the ladies, a tuxedo for Nate. It was hard to plan when the parameters were so messy. Usually, they simply had to save someone from getting killed or kidnapped, or possibly pull out anachronistic objects, like Beebo. Usually it was clear.

And even when it wasn't, usually the captain was very good at splitting them up into teams and making them play to their strengths (or as Rip had called it, letting them bumble around). But as far as Ray was concerned, playing to their bumbling strengths was usually what allowed them to mess things up in a good way.

//

Ray and Mick were dressed as cops, directing traffic for the guests parking in the church parking lot. Nate and Amaya were dressed up and told the ushers that they were last-minute guests of Lois's from the press corps. Zari and Sara had already gone off to the hotel to check out the reception hall, scan for bombs and suss out the caterer and her crew as she was setting up in the kitchen.

The brown haired woman in the chef's jacket was brisk and professional as she set her crew to work, but Sara thought it odd when a shorter woman in black came by to chat. Maybe a girlfriend? The woman also talked to the tall waiter and they all seemed to be friends, but then the girlfriend left, waving and rolling her eyes at something the caterer had said, and the rest of the work went on as might be expected.

They scanned the room for explosives and for time variations, but it was clean. So maybe whatever was going to happen was going to happen at the church itself.

And back on the Waverider, where no one was around to hear her, Gideon examined the timeline at a micro-level and said, "Well, that's unexpected."

And then, "Oh, bugger!"

Chapter Text

Several soldiers under Lucy's command in Nevada had volunteered to serve as ushers, including an extra pair of apparently last-minute guests from the Metropolis Press Corps. Natty in their uniforms, they guided guests to their seats. In the sacristy, James paced while Kara spoke quietly in Kryptonian, soothing Clark's nerves, although privately Alex thought he didn't understand the meaning, just the tone.

Clark opened his eyes, gulping. "Is it time?" He looked at his watch. "It's five minutes early."

James looked at his own. "It's five minutes past."

Alex said, "We're right on time."

Kara smiled, "When it comes to love, the time is always right."

The procession was beautiful: First Alex then Kara in their floral dresses marched up the aisle to the quartet playing the Wedding March, then took their places at two microphones, close to where Clark was smiling, but also clenching and unclenching his fists while Jimmy murmured soothingly. As first Lucy, then Lois and General Lane processed up to Clark. Kara and Alex sang their song, finishing:

Read

My

Mind...

Lois Lane and Clark Kent faced each other, holding hands and beaming.

And then the world exploded.

//

It wasn't a normal explosion, Kara thought. There wasn't smoke or fire, just percussive force tearing from the back to the front of the church and time seeming to slow down. Kara took a step forward and zoomed toward James, pushing him to get Eliza and Perry out.

Alex pulled her Glock from her purse and raced toward Batman and Wonder Woman, who were racing toward the men in black tactical gear who were themselves pushing through glue to move forward with their alien rifles, so the Man of Steel's two friends disarmed them faster than the Flash would have and had them zip-tied near the baptismal font.

When Lillian Luthor and her Cadmus goons came running in wearing black tacticals with an hourglass on their sleeve patches, the soldiers immediately started to evacuate the other guests. In chaos, no noticed the man from the press corps press a finger to his ear and murmur. Probably the explosion had affected his hearing.

Kara and Alex raced toward Lillian Luthor side by side, stuttering through moments of slow motion and superspeed as more attackers in black poured through the door, but Batman and Wonder Woman reached the enemy first.

It was a long and bloody battle and many among both the soldiers and the strange terrorists with the hourglass logo on their shoulder patches fell and did not rise again. The police came quickly at their Chief's call.

After the police had finished taking statements and left, the priest ran his hand through his short white hair and said, "Let's get back to work, shall we? Will everyone take their places?"

Chapter Text

The reception hall of the Metropolis Royal Etude was on the top floor, with spectacular views of Metropolis gilded in the late afternoon sunlight. Lois and Clark (Mr. and Mrs. Kent) processed into the hall to applause from their friends and family. At the short-term open bar, their guests were taking advantage of the free-flowing booze to steady their nerves. Lois couldn't really blame them. Eventually, they all took their places at the tables. Then the waiters went around with champagne for all the guests.

Jimmy stood, raising his glass. "Welcome, everybody: family and friends of Clark and Lois. I was so thrilled when Clark asked me to be his best man. I have known the big guy for years, since I came to Metropolis from Chicago and he came from Kansas. We've been through an awful lot together, because of the work we do at the Daily Planet, and the dangers that we've been through, many of which have led to Lois here being kidnapped--"

"Thirty-nine times!" yelled Lois.

"Thirty-nine times," James agreed with an easy grin. "And getting to see that relationship up close has just been such a privilege for me--"

Glass exploded everywhere. Screams of pain and screams of fear split the room.

"He's dead!" yelled a waiter, running to a man at a table in back, who lay on the floor with a bullet hole in his skull, a pool of blood spreading on the floor.

People started running toward the exits. Kara and Clark tipped their eyeglasses down and scanned the room. Bruce and Diana slipped out the back. The Chief of Police took control of the room while Alex helped keep people calm as they exited. When the police squads came, they were led by a woman with blonde hair tied in a bun in back of her head. She flashed an FBI badge and Alex recognized her: Sara Lance.

Chapter Text

Sara had known they would only have one chance to get this right, and she was pretty sure that Alex Danvers would be the lynchpin. Gideon had argued that a human who had had a sexual liaison with another human (yeah, that's how the AI talked) would be sure to act on emotion rather than logic (like an AI, presumably) or training (like a former assassin, presumably). Sara had argued that Alex Danvers was different. Motivation made a big difference in situations like this, and having an alien little sister to protect--having a sister to protect--having--

The point was, Alex was different and they would be fine.

So Sara had deployed her team. Nate had immediately moved toward Amos Tempus--but too late! Too late!

Ray and Zari went wherever the pain and blood was and tried to do triage. Mick she sent toward the kitchen. With Mick, she always knew she could count on three things: arson, straight-talk, and gluttony. Here, she was hoping that the third would get them somewhere.

//

Mick Rory took off his police hat once it seemed that the room was in no more imminent danger of getting shot up any more than it had been. Sara was busy interviewing the Supers, while Zari and Nate and Haircut were moving among the injured, trying to help. Fuck that.

As ordered, he noted the soldiers and family members who hadn't run, but then he let his nose lead him to the kitchen, where a hundred small china plates with chocolate mousse cake drizzled with some kind of orange syrup and raspberries lay spread out across a table. They called his name.

He turned to a woman in one of those white chef's jackets and said, "Got a fork?"

She picked up a fork and smacked it into his palm, saying, "Knock yourself out."

To the tall, ex-military waiter, she said, "So I guess our job here is done," and started to unbutton the jacket.

Mick didn't think too much of it. The chocolate thingy was glorious.

Chapter Text

Two terrorist attacks in one day had been bad, but everyone agreed that as long as Lois and Clark were safely married, they could go back to living their regular lives, happy to have been there when it happened.

The wedding party and their friends all went back to their single rooms: J'onn, Vasquez, and Winn.

Alex and Kara went back to their double, but at midnight Winn knocked on the door, Alex let him in and took his room key and let herself collapse on his bed, exhausted.

And the next day they went home as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Because, of course, for this group of world-saving individuals, nothing really had.