When Deserey woke up, the first thing she noticed was a blue parka standing over her. She blinked, wondering when the boys had gotten back from their mission. (At some point she vaguely remembered hearing Sara and Kendra talking about Ray going with the two crooks to steal some magical dagger or something.)

“Morning, sunshine,” Leonard drawled. Her first instinct was to glance down at her wrists, which were uncovered, clear to anyone who looked at them. Deserey tried to move them, to hide them, but the restraints stopped her from doing so.

Looks like she couldn’t run, either.

Leonard glanced down at her wrists too, but his gaze didn't linger too long. Almost like he knew she didn't want people to see them…

“Why?” he asked her, his eyes piercing hers. It felt like he could see into her soul.

“Did Sara recruit you?” Deserey asked, her face burning. Had Sara played her? After everything, she had betrayed her already?

“Well, duh. But not for the reasons you think.”

“What do you mean?” she asked, too miserable to put the pieces together on her own.

Leonard rolled his eyes. She glared back at him. “What?” she demanded.

Instead of answering, he pulled up the sleeves of his parka, broadcasting his own scars for the world to see. Except it was Deserey instead of the entire population.

“Oh,” she muttered. “So…” She trailed off, not even bothering to finish the sentence. What was she supposed to say anyway?

“Yep. I’m sure I was supposed to give you some encouraging speech about how it’s bad and shit, but I’m not gonna. Basically, you shouldn’t do that as much as you likely do ‘cause you’ll kill yourself, but that’s the goal for you, isn’t it?”

Deserey stared at him. How did he know that?

“Some of your scars are deeper than others,” he explained. “I looked through them while you slept.”

No, that wasn’t creepy at all. Deserey gave him a look to let him know her opinion about that. But she didn't say anything. She couldn't bring herself to speak, because she knew the moment she tried to say something she'd break down like a little kid.

“Just curious, but why? My depression is because my dad beat the shit outta me, but there are different cases.”

“It's...a long story,” Deserey shrugged. “I don't really want to talk about it.”

“Well, tough luck, ‘cause I ain’t leaving ‘till you do.”

“Then you’ll stay here for a while.”

Deserey couldn’t say she hated the idea, though. It was nice to have someone who cared for once.

“It's a time ship,” he reminded her. “We've got all the time in the world.”

She hesitated, looking him up and down. “I'm not sure you could understand…” She started picking at her fingernails. “I didn't grow up in a good place. I mean...I guess it could have been worse. At least I had a roof over my head and a good family but…” She shrugged. “Kids are mean in the eighth grade. Especially in a town full of racist morons...And I know I sound like I'm just playing the race card but...that's why.

“They made me hate myself. They said everything was wrong with me, not just my skin color. My personality, my family, everything. And it hurt. It still hurts…” She didn't meet his eyes, not really wanting to see his reaction.

When she finally did, she wasn’t met with pity. It was understanding.

“I got made fun of in locker rooms,” Leonard muttered. “People didn’t understand where the bruises came from. They’d make fun of the darker ones, say I was racist. Soon, I was getting beat up not only at home, but at school, too.”

Deserey looked at him, her eyes watering a little. It was embarrassing, but she just felt so relieved that someone actually understood, even just a little. “I can't stop feeling hurt because of it…And you know, I'm pretty sure my kids think that I hate them. I don't see them anymore, because I can't even...feel anything around them. My body is numb. My mind is numb. I can't move forward.”

“I don’t have kids, and I don’t think I ever will. What if I’m like him?”

It felt like they were both just talking to themselves, ranting about their own problems in a way that was just easy. Somehow, that helped a little…

“Does it ever get any better than this?” Deserey asked, and she got the feeling he was wondering the same thing.

“I don't know. But I sure hope to hell that it does.”

{~}

In the end, Deserey fell asleep, and when she woke, Leonard (now Len) was gone, without a note or anything. Honestly, she was slightly disappointed.

In his place, Sara stood, hand on her hip. She was looking at her with concern. But not the way everyone else did. It wasn't like she was some poor broken being that could never be fixed. (even though she was.) Sara looked at her like her worry might be real, like she might actually care, instead of just faking it to make herself look good. It reminded Deserey of Darryl.

“You alright?” she asked, and Deserey got the feeling she had better tell the truth.

“Yeah. At least, I’m better.”

Sara nodded. She moved to her side, sitting on a crate of medicine bottles, since the only other chair was used for patience and across the room. “I'm glad,” she said, before hesitating a bit. “So...listen. About that kiss…”

Deserey looked down. She was gonna get rejected, Sara thought it wasn’t that good…

“I don't want you to think you did anything wrong,” she said. “It was great, really. But it was...freaky.” She paused for a second, as she searched for the right words to explain herself. “I died. And my sister brought me back, but since then I've been...struggling. I haven't been kissed since before I died. It was like having my first kiss all over again, and I'm not really use to feeling...like that.

“ I've only had one real relationship before, but we had to break it off, because she thought she was too toxic for me. She wanted me to move on but… I'm not sure I can. My past...it always seems to come back to haunt me, you know? Besides, I don't think you're exactly in the right state of mind for anything concrete either…”

Deserey couldn’t help but be slightly offended, even if she knew where Sara was coming from, and that she was right.

Sara looked at her awkwardly. “That sounded a lot better in my head…”

Deserey looked away, forcing the tears away. She wasn’t going to cry for something that had no chance of even happening.

“I get it,” she said. “You don't have to explain yourself. I can take a hint. It was stupid. I shouldn't have done it. I was just trying to...feel something…But I guess there was nothing there to feel.” She shrugged, probably looking a little pathetic in the process. “I mean, why would there be? There was only one person in the world who could love me, but I let him go. So, now there's no one.”

Sara looked down, as if ashamed. Maybe she was. But it was nothing compared to how Deserey was feeling.

Now that the restraints were off (they must have been removed in her sleep) she could walk freely.  She stood up, just as Carter walked in. He looked back and forth between the two, frowning worriedly. For a moment Dez was scared that Sara had told him too, but he didn't look like he actually knew anything. Everyone who knew always had this look about them, pity or annoyance. Ignorance or a hero complex. She found it was usually one or the other with people. Carter didn't have either of those looks, so Deserey guessed he didn't know. (In fact, when she asked him about the look later, he said it was because he had thought Sara pushed her too hard during their training. [Which of course she lied about, saying that that was, indeed, why she was in the med bay.])

"There you are," he said, looking at Sara. "Jax and Stein just checked in. They said they could use your help getting Ray's suit back, and they want you to meet them at the location. Gideon has the map pulled up in the bridge."

Sara nodded curtly. "Tell them I'm on my way." When he turned and walked back down the hall, Sara turned back to Deserey opening her mouth to speak, but Dez held her hand up to stop her.

"Go," she said. "Save the world. Don't worry about me."

With that, Deserey got to her feet, leaving Sara behind in favor of looking for Len. Maybe he’d be willing to talk again.

{~}

She'd found the thief thirty minutes later. Len was sitting in his room, cleaning the cold gun, a bored expression on his face.

“What’s up?” she asked, taking the seat opposite to him.

“I should be asking you that,” he replied without looking up.

She shrugged. “Medbay got cramped.” They sat in silence for a moment, before she asked, "So, how'd your grand theft dagger thing go?"

Len raised an eye brow, "You heard about that?" Before she said anything, he shrugged, contiuing, "Raymond almost got us all killed, of course...But we managed. Turns out the house belonged to Savage."

"Ooh. Fun," Dez commented.

There was another long pause, as Leonard finished cleaning the cold gun. When he was done, he placed the weapon next to him on his bed, like it was something delicate. Dez thought it was a little strange, the way he treated the thing with such care, but she didn't question it.

“So… Family Guy?” Len asked with amusement. He snorted when her face lit up.

Leonard turned on the tv (which was mounted to the wall across from them) and started an episode. The two leaned back in their chairs, just relaxing.

Dex watched the show, the way the dysfunctional Griffins interacted with one another. They were so broken beyond repair, yet somehow they worked well together, like a well oiled machine. It got her thinking about her own family. Were they just as broken? (Or maybe she was just looking too far into the stupid comedy.) She glanced at Len, before looking back at the television. 

“You have any family?” Deserey asked after a moment. Len shook his head before reconsidering. Then he nodded.

“A sister," he told her. "She means everything to me.”

Deserey nodded slowly. She had never had any real family, and any blood relatives were dead. Well, except for her kids, Daren and Anita. But did they even count, after they had started living with Darryl full time? Did it count when she never even saw them anymore?

“Anyway,” Len said, clearing his throat. It was obvious this was a rough subject for him, so Deserey allowed him to change the subject. “Why do you like this show so much?”

“Don’t you like it, too?” Deserey asked with a raised eyebrow. Len nodded slowly. “I do. I’m just curious why you do. Doesn’t seem like your style.”

She shrugged. “Well, who doesn't like a bit of dark humor? It’s crude, but it's funny. Plus, I've been watching it my whole life, so maybe I'm just a bit biased. Also...now that I've met him, doesn't the baby remind you a little of Rory?”

Leonard gave her a curious look. “How so?”

She shrugged. “‘Cause Stewie has that whole aggressive thing going on. World domination, killing his mother --”

“Stewie never actually kills Lois,” Len pointed out.

“Yeah, but he wants to,” Dez shrugged again. “Anyway, he's got all that homicidal rage, but then he's secretly...just a baby.”

Leonard smirked. “Are you calling Mick a baby?”

“I mean… he’s got the intellect of one,” Deserey teased. Len laughed.

“He’s actually a lot smarter than people give him credit for,” Len said thoughtfully. “I mean, he’s got the buff, so he just plays the dumb bodyguard, but he actually is really helpful with planning. And, you know, he doesn’t mind doing the dirty work, so…”

Deserey nodded slowly. She could usually tell when people weren't living up to their full potential, but she had hardly considered it in Mick's case. She had just assumed he was lazy and dumb, because that's the way he acted, and...admittedly, she had made the assumptions based on his criminal background. Now, she felt a little guilty about judging the arsonist so hastily. Just like she had assumed Ray was a happy go lucky boy scout who hadn't been through any rough patches...She'd misjudged both of them. They were more than that. Ray wasn't just a self righteous billionaire, and Mick wasn't just a crazy murderer who liked playing with fire.

And now that she thought about it, they were perfect together. Their personalities perfectly balanced one another, and their back and forth banter was super cute. (Not to mention that nickname Mick had given Ray on their first mission.) Still, it would probably be best if she stayed out of their love life, at least for now. They had to stop the immortal baddie before they worried about lovey dovey crap.

“You two are really close, aren't you?” Deserey asked after a moment. “How long have you known each other?”

“I know it’s ironic, considering my unique ability, but I have absolutely no idea.”

“What ability?” Deserey asked.

"Let's just call it a photographic memory,” Len shrugged. “But...it's been a really long time. I lost count of how many years it's been since we first met in juvie...”

Deserey nodded in understanding, but she was not about to let the whole 'considering my unique ability' thing go. “You have a photographic memory!?”

“What? Is it that hard to believe I’m naturally this amazing?” He smirked.

“They’re just so rare,” Deserey replied, looking away. She didn’t know why, but this just felt unfair. The only person who could understand how she was feeling was actually special? Was rare?

“Hey, now,” Len said, grabbing her chin gently just as Sara had done. “It’s alright.”

She blinked at him, wondering how he somehow always knew what she was thinking. Then, she remembered what happened when she had kissed Sara and shoved whatever feelings that may have been rising up down. It was all in her head.

But that didn’t exactly make them go away, especially since they were so close. Especially when she could just turn her head and their lips would meet.

So she turned her head away, wanting to avoid any more awkward rejection. They had a job to do, she reminded herself. No time for lovey dovey crap...

“What? Am I too pretty to resist?” Len teased, but there was something in his eyes, something that reminded her of Sara.

She closed her eyes tightly, fighting the tears. One escaped, despite her efforts, and Deserey definitely felt it when Len wiped it away with his thumb.

“Don’t be sad,” he told her. “It’s alright.”

Now she knew why he always knew when she was sad. She was always crying. Damn, she really was weak wasn't she?

“What are you thinking? Because I guarantee it isn’t true,” Leonard whispered in her ear. Deserey fought the urge to lean into the touch, to curl into the warm man who was so unlike his cold exterior.

She shrugged. “I just don't see how I'm going to fit in here. I'm really just...nothing compared to everyone else here. I can't fight, and when Sara tried to help me learn I bit her head off. I don't have the strength, mentally or physically to fight anyone, never mind some immortal creep.
"So, I really don't know what I'm doing here. I'm just...weak.” She laughed bitterly. “No wonder everyone leaves...No wonder he left me…” That last part was about Darryl. She really missed him. Maybe that was why she had kissed Sara, why she wanted so badly for this thing with Leonard to be something more than what it was. Deserey was craving attention.

And maybe, just maybe, she was craving Darryl. She longed for his touch, for his embrace...she just wanted to be near him.

Len looked like he was about to say something, but before anything left his mouth, they heard shouting from down the hall. The two exchanged looks, before getting up to see what the commotion was.

Walking into the bridge, they found Professor Stein, Jax, and Sara, along with some stranger. He was a young man, about twenty five, with thick blonde hair and a cocky attitude radiating from him. Stein was glaring at him angrily.

"Do you have any idea what you've done?" the professor yelled.

"What I've done?" the young man huffed back. "You knocked me out!"

"Which we wouldn't have had to do in the first place if you weren't such a monumental jerk!" Stein hissed.

Jax calmly walked over, placing a hand on the professor's shoulder. "Okay, um, can I just...yeah." He lead the Stein away from the young man and towards Dez and Len.

"Watch him, Sara," Stein huffed, as they past the assassin. He glared at the younger man, as Jax calmly lead him away.

"Yo, you need to calm down," Jax told the professor. "And you need to stop yelling at yourself."

Dez snorted as the pieces came together. That young man must have been Stein's younger self.

Leonard smirked, coming to the same conclusion. "I can already hear the lecture Rip's gonna give," he mumbled to Deserey. She laughed.

"His arrogant, curiosity," Stein growled in annoyance, still glaring at his younger self from across the room.

"Yeah," Jax said. "He's curious and too smart for his own good, but I'm sure you can relate. You're just pissed, because you didn't see it coming sooner, and --"

"That's not it," Stein interrupted, looking at Jax now. "Although, you are correct in observing my ire is self-directed. It's a rude awakening when one realizes that despite decades of what one thought was maturation and experience, you haven't really changed at all."

"Are we supposed to try and help make him feel better?" Deserey wondered. "Because I'm still kind of stuck on my own issues..."

Leonard shrugged. "Dunno. But it's fun to watch."

"That same arrogance I dirtied in my younger self," Stein went on, evidently not noticing Len or Dez, "was on full display at the weapons bazaar. Over sixty years on this planet, and I have nothing to learned nothing."

Deserey thought about his words carefully. What they meant...She wondered if there was actually even one person alive that even remotely liked themselves. Wasn't it just the saddest thing to see everyone wallowing in pain, in self loathing? It was almost like a cancer...

"I think you're being a little too hard on yourself," Jax told Stein. But Dez couldn't help but to feel the words were being directed at her too. (Or maybe she was just being too self absorbed again...) "Which makes a nice change from you always being hard on me, but...Yeah. You're arrogant. But you're also smart, and kind, and selfless."

Jax shrugged. "I mean, you want to make the world a better place, and you're willing to risk everything to make that happen. That?" He nodded at the younger Martin (Dez decided to call him Marty in her head to avoid confusion. The older one would still be Professor Stein), who was walking around the bridge curiously. "That is not a bad guy." Jax looked back at the older Stein. "Neither is this one."

"Daw," Leonard cooed. "How touching."

Stein nodded at Jax, pretending Leonard wasn't there. "Meeting Clarissa was one of the greatest moments of my life, and meeting you was another."

"They're bonding!" Deserey cheered. "So cute!"

Both halves of Firestorm rolled their eyes, like they were finally starting to get annoyed with the commentary. Still, neither said anything to either Dez or Len.

"You are a fine young man, Mr. Jackson," Stein told Jax.

Len and Dez were about to make some more snarky comments, but before they got the chance, Marty walked over. "Can someone please tell me what's going on?" he asked.

Stein looked at Sara. "You didn't say anything to him?"

She shrugged. "I figured we screwed up the '70s enough."

Marty looked back and forth between the assassin and his future self. "What are you talking about? Are you saying that, you're from --"

"Don't say it!" Stein stopped him. "Don't even think it." He handed him the machine he'd been holding this whole time. (Deserey guessed that must have been the tracker he had stolen from himself earlier.) "You are to get off this ship, post haste."

Rip walked into the room, as soon as those words left the professor's lips. He sighed, exasperated.

"Here it comes," Len whispered to Dez.

"Oh, wonderful," Rip said, starting the lecture, "another unauthorized passenger. That worked out so splendidly last time."

"It's alright, he was just leaving," Stein said quickly, hoping to save himself.

"I'll show you out," Jax told Marty. The younger Martin stared at his future self, suspicious. Deserey thought he might have already figured it out in his head, but he needed something to confirm it.

"So," Marty said slowly, "have we met before?"

Stein considered his question for a moment. It was clear he didn't want to give too much away, even though it was just as evident that his younger self had already put the pieces together. "In a manner of speaking...Have a wonderful life, Martin. I mean that sincerely."

Marty stared at him for another moment, probably wanting to ask more questions. (He was a scientist after all.) Sara gave him a small shove towards the exit, before he could, though. Jax lead him out of the room.

"...I'm not even going to ask," Rip mumbled.

{~}

Later that night Dez was roaming the halls, her sorrows once again clouding her judgment. She really needed a drink. It was the only way to silence the dark thoughts. (Or at least it would allow her to get the job done without over thinking it.) And she knew exactly who would be able to give her one.

She tiptoed past Sara's room, where she knew both the assassin and Leonard would be. (They'd started playing cards together their first night on the Waverider.) Once Deserey was in the clear, she continued walking briskly until she had reached Mick's door. She knocked, hoping it didn't sound too urgent. She didn't want to do anything to tip him off, as she already had three people knowing about her...issues. She didn't need to risk anyone else's judgment. 

Mick answered a few moments later. He had an expression on his face, somewhere between annoyed and curious.

“I need a drink,” she told him the second he opened the door. He shrugged, nodded, and went back inside. When he came back out, he had a six pack, which he carried to the kitchen.

She followed him, hoping he didn't care enough to bring up the fact that she'd declined going to the bar with the others earlier due to the fact that she was a lightweight. And, thankfully, he didn't. He just set the beer down on the table in the galley and sat back in one of the chairs, popping a can open for himself.

“Why you need it?” he asked her. She shook her head. “Wait ‘till I’m drunk. Then you can murder me. At this point, I don’t give a shit.”

He shrugged as she grabbed a can. She popped it open before chugging, only stopping when it was halfway empty.

By then her vision was fuzzy. The room spun in three sixties, blurring like a crappy camera filter. She fell out of her chair, giggling uncontrollably.

“And I think now’s a good time to ask again,” Mick muttered. He got up and helped her back onto her chair.

“Ask what?”

He fought the urge to facepalm. He really should get some backup…But leaving her alone would likely mean she'd fall on a fork or something. So, he yelled down the hall,

“Lenny!”

Dez put her fingers to her lips, “Shh! This is a library! In door voice!” She then crawled onto the table and laid down, her head facing upward at the ceiling. “Wooow!!! There's stars on the roof!!” She hiccuped. “I think that means nap time…”

“Yeah, Mick?” Len said, coming into the room.

“You really are a lightweight,” Mick muttered in amazement. He hadn’t been able to get drunk once can since he had been ten. He had bad parents.

Deserey giggled, as she tried to stand up again. This resulted in her falling on her face. “Pfft. My legs are jelly. Wobble wobble! Just like the timey wimey. Hehe. That's a Doctor Who...thingy.” She laughed.

Len stared at her before turning to Mick. “What the hell did you do to her?” he hissed.

“Jeez, boss. Nothin’ she didn’t want.”

“Dez, is he right?”

“Yep! I wanted to forget you! And I think I did…” She scratched at her head. “I don’t know, though. Did I?” She tried standing. “Who are you again?” she asked, stumbling into the counter. “Victor Fries?” She snorted. “Nope...tha-that’s the other guy.” Her words slurred as she tried to keep talking, laughing like life was just one big joke. She kept stumbling, almost falling again, even though she was just standing there.

Len just stared at her, an almost hurt look on his face. But it was soon gone, and he was cleaing his throat. “Why did you, uh, want to forget me?”

“I don't knoooww,” she said, drawing out the last word, as she fell on her ass. “Ow…” Deserey pouted like a child. “Wait...did I hurt my face?” She patted her nose. “Ooh. I hope it's not broken…”

Mick laughed while Len rolled his eyes.

Then Sara decided to waltz right in. Deserey screamed when she saw her, pointing at her wildly. “Ninja!!” she shouted. “Ninja!”

“Uh… what happened to her?” Sara asked, pointing at Deserey, who was currently running around the room waving her hands in the air and screaming, “Ninja! Ninja!”

“Mick got her drunk,” Leonard sighed.

Mick shrugged, not looking very sorry about it, even as the assassin and his best friend glared at him harshly. He didn't see why it was such a big deal. She was just having some fun...but of course he didn't know what they knew…

“Hey, Sara?” Deserey asked after a moment. She looked almost… sober, but her next words proved she wasn’t. “Do you have any knives left?”

“Okay,” Sara said, exasperated. “I'm taking you to lie down.” She grabbed her by the shoulders and lead her down the hall. As they left she leaned over to Len, whispering, “Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to gather anything and everything she can use to, you know.”

She didn't wait for an answer though, already knowing he probably would, before disappearing around the corner with their drunken, suicidal friend.

Mick stared after them with a confused look before shrugging and drinking another can.

Leonard let out a long, annoyed sigh the way he always did when he thought Mick had screwed up. But Mick just ignored him, watching his partner in crime went around the room, collecting all the knives, forks, and even the spoons.

“Are you having another thing?” Mick asked him. Leonard shook his head before nodding toward the doorway that Deserey had just went through. Mick quickly got the message.

“So…” Mick asked casually. “What’s up with you two?”

“Nothing,” Leonard said. He stuffed all the sharp objects in his coat pocket, before walking out of the room, searching for anything else Deserey might use to kill herself.

“So… Suicidal or cutting?” Mick asked.

“Both,” Len told him. He kept his responses short, memories of his own similar experiences rising to the surface.

“Why?” Mick said, curious for some reason, and Len couldn’t help but wonder why.

Leonard shrugged. “Everyone has issues.” He leaned over to pick up a plastic bag someone had left laying on the floor. He wasn't sure what it had been for, but he didn't care. All he knew was that it could be used for suffocation. So, he stuffed it in his coat along with the sharp objects.

Mick and Leonard went around the ship, silently, gathering whatever else they thought Dez could use as a tool for suicide. Somewhere along the way, they met Rip.

“What are you doing?”

“Stealing from you,” Leonard lied. “We're thieves, after all.”

Rip rolled his eyes. After a moment, he connected the dots. He stared at Leonard in surprise.

“She told you two, didn’t she?”

“Tell us what?” Len replied, but he had a feeling Rip somehow already knew.

“I...think you know what I mean,” the captain said quietly.

Mick squinted at him. “How did you know about it?”

Rip hesitated a moment, wondering if it was his place to say. But...they already knew anyway, so how could it possibly hurt anything? He told them about the way he had found Deserey when he was recruiting the Legends.

The two crooks listened, a little shocked by the story. But neither of them were all that surprised. She had admitted to attempting suicide, after all.

And that was the reason they were picking up all these things, wasn't it? So she couldn't try it again.

Rip walked around with the two thieves, helping them gather the last of anything that could be dangerous to Deserey. When they had finished, they came to a stop in the captain’s office. Rip leaned on the wall. “...It probably goes without saying, but we should keep this quiet. I can't imagine that Deserey will want everyone to know.”

“Sara does, too,” Len added.

Rip nodded. “Then, it will just be us and Sara. No one else, unless Deserey says otherwise.”

“Well, we can’t really help it if she’s dead, so let’s focus more on this,” Mick said bluntly. Len snorted while the captain rolled his eyes.

Leave it to the arsonist to be brutally blunt.

flarrow444 say,

"You're welcome for all you Captain Sand shippers.”  

I guess we're kinda low key doing this thing together now, but that's cool. It's fun.

I'm really sorry the word count keeps going over 3,000 words. I'm trying to keep the chapters short so they're easier for you guys to read but...like I said that's hard for me to do. There's so much that needs to be put in, and when you're so hung up on details like me that makes things even longer... But I'm trying. This chapter is about 5,000 words so... If I were you I'd just go ahead and assume chapters will normally be anywhere from 3,000-5,000 words cause...that's probably what it will be.

So, you'll notice I skipped that scene where Lenny, Micky, and Ray Ray get captured and they all have a big fight with Savage and Carter dies and Kendra gets hurt, blah, blah, blah.

That's partly because I need Carter alive to see if I can fix his character. (I did say I wasn't killing him off in an early chapter so...) And it's partly because things just happen when you write. I was planning on keeping it in, actually, but Lenny wanted to come back and find his own escape from Savage. So, I let him do that.

But there will be a big fight later, because I still want to hurt Kendra. (I need it for motivation for Dez and Carter to bond.) Maybe the next chapter. We'll see. Anywho...

Lemme know if you see any major mistakes!