Alex came home from her job at the Hub City Museum to discover Sara and Kendra playing a very busy game of life on the floor of the apartment, blankets strewn everywhere.

"Looks like the blanket fort didn't last very long," Alex teased, placing her stuff down and shoving her coat onto the rack.

"Congratulations." Sara told Kendra, "You are a doctor." She handed the other woman a card before turning to face the Alex at the door, "You're home early." Her tone was surprised, and Alex gestured to herself, as if to say that her presence was a gift.

"You know, I thought about going to medical school once." Kendra interrupted their moment, drawing Sara's attention back to the game of life, and Alex moved to check in on Ray in the kitchen. He had gotten the time beacon back out again.

"Ooh," Alex teased, "He's back at it again!"

Ray chuckled at her response, "I picked up some of that hummus you like," he mentioned, gesturing to the fridge, "I noticed you were running out, and Sal says hi by the way."

"I feel so bad," Alex spoke as she grabbed the chips and dip, "I haven't been by in ages, but I'm sure he's happy to see you."

Ray tilted his head, a slight grimace on his face, "I don't think so, he's always murmuring Spanish at me. I don't know what he's saying but his tone is not pleasant."

Alex chuckled at the thought of Sal threatening Ray every time he walked into the convenience store.

A beeping echoed through the apartment, signaling what they had been waiting to hear for so long.

"Yes!" Ray cheered, "The time beacon radio is officially complete." He announced to the room, causing Kendra and Sara to stop their game of life and join the two of them at the table.

Alex leaned in, eager to return back to the timeship.

"Okay, here we go. Come on." Ray rubbed his hands together before pressing a button, causing the device to start lighting up, "Hope there's a spot on that game that says "Return to the Waverider," because that's what's about to happen." he bragged, hitting another button, "Here we go."

The device whirred back and forth, and for a minute it looked like they had hope.

That the Waverider might actually find them.

That they could actually go home.

And then sparks flew, and the sound of it powering down was all that could be heard. Alex sent him a look of sympathy. She knew how hard he had worked on that. It had been their only hope.

"I--uh, I just have to fix a few of the kinks." Ray told himself, although Alex could tell he didn't believe his own words, "The next version will be much less explosive."

"Next version?" Sara turned to face Kendra and Alex, "I thought you two said you were gonna say something to him" Her words were curt, cold and unkind. 

Alex flapped her mouth back and forth, trying to figure out the right words to placate her.

Ray looked between the three women, "Say what?" he asked, his wide smile still on his face and Alex's chest ached at the news they would have to tell him.

Sara told him instead, "that your beacon it's a waste of time." She responded coldly, "They're not coming back, Ray." She was delving deeper into her spiral, she had been for the past two weeks. "And it's not because the Waverider is broken, or they're lost, or they can't find us," Sara continued, Alex trying to step in and comfort her before things got out of hand, "or whatever. It's because they're dead." Ray and Kendra looked taken aback at her declaration. Alex sighed.

"Sara," She began, "Come on, let's go--"

She didn't listen, "And the sooner that you accept that, the sooner you can move on the sooner we can all move on." Sara huffed and turned around disappearing into their shared room.

Ray called after, scoffing at her words, "So what? We're just supposed to give up?"

Alex felt pulled in two directions. One was the person she had fostered a relationship with, someone she had leaned one her entire time here. The other was her best friend, someone she needed in her life.

She couldn't make the decision, so Sara made it for her.

"On being rescued, yeah."

"Sara come on," Alex tried to appeal to her, not even believing the words coming out of her mouth, "We can work through this. Sara, what are you doing?"

She reappeared with a duffel bag in hand, jacket in the other, refusing to look at anyone, especially Alex. But the brunette knew what she was up to. She knew what Sara was doing.

"You're leaving?"

She almost looked apologetic, eyes wet with unshed tears as she met Alex's gaze, "I can't stay here." Her voice cracked, and she cleared her throat, trying to keep up her facade, "I need to find somewhere I belong."

Alex moved forward, grabbing Sara's hand in her own, "You belong with me," The familiar prickling in her nose was irritating her, pressure building behind her eyes, "You belong here, with us." She tasted salt on her lips, "You can't go," She whispered, voice thick with unsaid emotion.

Instead of addressing Alex, she turned to Ray and Kendra, still trying to hide how she was really feeling about leaving, "Savage is still out there." She warned the couple, tearing her hand out of Alex's, "Don't draw undue attention on yourselves."

"Sara--" Kendra spoke up from the kitchen.

The blonde shook her head, closing her eyes, "Look, you two have each other." She focused on instead, and it was like rubbing salt in the wound, she was leaving Alex alone with them, "Most people, in any time period, aren't that lucky. Take care."

She pushed in closer, wiping the tear from Alex's face and whispered a request, "Come with me."

It was simple. It would be so simple. To run away with her. Away from Savage, away from the drama that plagued their life, to spend the rest of her life with the beautiful woman before her, and forget about every responsibility weighing them down.

But Alex knew she could never do that.

She owed it to the Legends to finish this mission.

She knew they were coming back. Even if her heart didn't believe it.

She wanted more than anything to run away with Sara, but she knew she couldn't.

She was her mother's daughter.

It was her greatest pride and her greatest flaw.

Alex couldn't abandon Ray and Kendra. Just like she couldn't let Sara walk out on her own.

"Stay," Alex spoke quietly, grabbing both of Sara's hands in her own, kissing the tops of her knuckles. Ignoring the stinging in her chest that told her nothing she said would work. "Please."

Sara turned her gaze toward the ground, and Alex bit her cheek.

"You know I can't." Sara finally replied, tears finally starting to trickle down her cheeks. She wiped the one's on Alex's face, the gesture only causing more to fall. Sara brought the Amazon in for a hug, standing on her tip-toes as she whispered a final goodbye in her ear, "I'm so sorry Alex."

She pulled her fingers from Alex's grip, her hand a phantom against Alex's as she watched Sara's retreating figure close the door, not looking back.

Numbness stirred in her stomach, the sharp pain in her chest growing worse as she stood there, staring at the empty air. The very place where Sara had stood. Where she had whispered goodbye. Where she hadn't even considered staying for her.

Because she wasn't worth staying for.

The salt water burned her cheeks as it trickled down her skin, Alex gritting her teeth in an attempt to stop them from coming. But it didn't work.

Because She was alone.

Again.

***

Four Months Later

She was floating.

Wake. Work. Eat. Sleep.

Wake. Work. Eat. Sleep.

Wake. Work. Eat. Sleep.

Wake. Work. Eat. Sleep.

That's all she did anymore. She gripped the blankets closer to her. The blankets that she and Sara had shared. That she and Sara had slept on.

They were freshly washed.

Any trace of her scent gone.

Just like her.

She had been gone for months.

Ray and Kendra didn't seem to care. They just moved on. Like life was always like this. No Sara. Like their friend hadn't abandoned them.

Because I wasn't worth staying for, Alex told herself. I never have been.

And it made sense.

She had been using Sara. She was never interested in her. Sara had been temporary.

Everything in her life was always temporary.

Nothing in her life ever stayed. No one ever stayed.

She was the common denominator. She was the reason people left. She was the problem.

And she was supposed to fix problems.

She was always supposed to fix problems. But she had failed.

She had failed Mandy.

And now she had failed Sara.

She was a failure. She was the problem.

And she needed to be solved.

She needed to distance herself. If she never gets close to Ray and Kendra, then she can never fail them.

She can never let them down.

She needed to distance herself. It was the only way.

A knock on her door tried to pull her out of her stupor. It didn't succeed.

"Alex?"

Ray. She reminded herself. Distance yourself. It's the only way to make sure you don't let them down. It's the only way to keep them with you.

"Hey, we uh, we made gyros," He spoke through the door, "Or tried to anyway. You wanna talk?"

Distance. She reminded herself. Distance.

"Alex?" Ray asked again, "Can you come out? Please? I miss--We miss you."

Silence was her only response.