Casually having an unnecessary crossover with Gotham for no reason at all other than the fact that I want to and I have the power of God in this universe. Sorry not sorry (but I do hope you enjoy it and don't think it's too random or weird? 😬)

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After her conversation with her younger self, Deserey found her way into the nursery with Rip's mother -- Mary Xavier, she had introduced herself. (She could not leave without holding at least one of the infants!)

"They seem to take to you," Mary said, smiling softly as she watched Deserey interact with the babies.

"I didn't always know what I wanted from life, but I've always known I wanted to be a mother," Deserey told her, rocking a baby as he slumbered in her arms. "I used to practice with my sisters dolls. It was kinda weird but..." She shrugged.

"Not at all. There is something very special about being a mother. It's an intuition, a super power all on its own, perhaps. There's nothing wrong with wanting that."

Deserey smiled lightly, gently placing the baby back in his crib, only to pick up another baby girl as she grew fussy. Mary passed her a bottle to feed her. "So, all these babies are orphans like Rip?"

Mary nodded. "If one was to assume he was, in fact, an orphan..."

"I guess technically he isn't... He's got you."

"Indeed, but I wasn't referring to myself."

Deserey looked up at her. What was that supposed to mean? "Who were you referring to, then?"

"His birth parents," she said matter-of-factly.

Dez gaped at her. "You know who they are?" Why had Rip not started with asking his mother about his biological parents? Didn't he know she had the information? He had to of. She didn't seem like the type to hide such an important thing from her son.

Mary nodded again. "I know who all the children's parents are." Deserey would have jumped for joy had she not been holding a baby in that moment. "Why do you ask?"

"We've been trying to find information on them, Rip and I..." Deserey hoped the implications were clear.

Apparently, they were because Mary let out a short, "Ah." She paused in her task of laying down a few of the other babies for a nap. "Well, I should warn you, that knowledge comes with a terrible burden... Though I suppose, seeing as the Time Masters mean to assassinate you and your team it won't matter much anyway." Dez had no idea what she was going on about, but she didn't want to interrupt, just in case she changed her mind. "Perhaps, he should hear this too, then."

So, the two of them found Rip, gathering in the parlour while the rest of the Legends helped Kendra and Carter train Luna with her new meta dog powers and prepared to fight the Pilgrim and Chronos. Mary was sat across from Rip and Deserey, looking directly at Rip as she spoke. "You were named after your father. Michael Jon Carter."

Deserey slapped Rip's arm in her excitement, and he froze. "Dude, we met him!" At Mary's raised eyebrow, the two launched into a recount of how they'd met Booster Gold and Blue Beetle in 1986 Siberia. Deserey couldn't help but to think his story was odd. He had said that Druce had killed his wife and child, just as Savage had killed Rip's, yet here Mary was claiming that it was Rip who was Michael's son. Booster didn't seem to recognize Rip either, so either someone was lying or...

"The Time Masters are much more sinister than they'd have you believe," Mary confessed. "The Time Master children, all the children here." She looked at Rip, who looked a little passive considering he'd just received world shattering news. "Even you... They've all been taken from their original families."

"Taken," Deserey repeated. "You mean they were kidnapped?"

Mary nodded. "The parents are either assassinated or payed off. It's the real reason they have the children change their names, so no one can find them. I'm not sure how Mr. Jon Carter managed to escape. They did send Chronos after him, and we all know he doesn't let his targets get away." Odd then, that he kept letting the Legends slip through his fingers. What were the chances Chronos had that many off days?

More importantly, every child in this building had been taken away from their original homes, and none of them even knew it. The mere idea of it was enough to make her sick. What if someone had taken Anita and Daren away from her? She wouldn't be able to cope, knowing she'd never see them again, never knowing what happened to them, where they'd gone, if they were safe and happy... She didn't have to know where they were or what they were doing at all hours of the day -- they did need freedom after all -- but she had to know that they were safe and that they were happy. That was her number one priority, because if they weren't... Well, then she'd pretty much failed as a parent. She might as well be as bad as Leonard and Mick's fathers. If anyone ever took that ability away from her...

The sand from her bag moved, swirling around the same way it had back in the 80s when Deserey had accidentally spied on Leonard during his trip to the past. Only this time the people in the image weren't Leonard and Mick...it was her kids. They were with some guy she didn't recognize, and he was way, way, way too old to be one of their friends. They were walking around Gotham City of all places, the guy was saying something to them but Deserey wasn't listening. All she could see was red. Who was that and why the hell was he with her kids? Why were they in Gotham?

Rip frowned, watching the scene. He didn't seem nearly as put off by the man as Deserey was. "Is that --"

"The Oculus," Mary said, gaping at the Hour Glass image.

"I always thought he was just a Legend," Rip said.

"I'm going after them," Deserey announced, almost knocking the table over as she stood up, which really ruined the moment.

Rip hesitated, standing as well, though his movements were much calmer than hers were. "Deserey --"

"I know, I know, the Pilgrim and Chronos are after us and we have to stop Savage. Blah, blah, blah." She folded her arms over herself, because he was not going to stop her! "But, Rip, those are my kids! And we're parents! And everyone knows that the only sure fire way to piss us off is to screw with our kids. But then, we get really dangerous. And...that doesn't even begin to make sense, but I'm not going to just ignore this! He's obviously some kind of creep, legendary or not!"

"I was just going to suggest you take back up..." Rip told her. "There are numerous stories depicting Oculus as... hazardous. You'll need the help."

{~}

"Why are we on baby sitting duty?" Mick asked. Deserey had grabbed the keys to the jump ship, shoved him, Sara, and Leonard on board and high tailed to Gotham as soon as Gideon had a lock on her children's location. They were currently stalking through the streets, searching for the man who thought it was a good idea to run off with her kids.

"Yeah, I have to agree," Sara said. "Wouldn't Rip, Kendra, and Carter have been better for a parent-y side mission?"

"Probably," Deserey admitted. "But you three have killed people before and I could use some pointers."

Leonard raised an eye brow at her. "I didn't peg you for a homicidal type."

"This bastard took my kids! Of course he's going to die!"

"GCPD! Freeze!" It took all of three seconds for things to go to shit, that had to be a new record for the Legends. Deserey and her three team mates ducked behind a random car parked on the side of the road, Mick growling hatefully at the cops, muttering, "I hate pigs."

Across the street, there was a line of officers, weapons drawn and aiming it at a tall man, his skin so pale it was almost white as snow. His hair was colorless, his a dull silver. He sort of looked similar to Killer Frost, only he had a thick suit and a glass casing over his head making him look something like an astronaut. Victor Fries. Crap.

Technically speaking, Deserey had never spoken to him personally, but she remembered hearing about him when she'd been nothing but a street rat, rumors through the grape vine. The psycho killer who'd been trying fruitlessly to save his wife via some icicle mombo jumbo. He'd been sentenced to Arkham after he'd failed to save his wife, only to end up as a lab rat for Professor Hugo Strange, who had given him a gun similar to Leonard's Cold Gun -- only much larger and more noticeable. The media called him Mr. Freeze; over the years he'd been reduced to nothing more than a hit man with a weird gun but that didn't mean he wasn't dangerous or freaky.

Freeze eyed the GCPD lazily, slowly raising his weapon at the officers. "Well...if you insist." And then he fired. The effect wasn't that different from Leonard's gun, perhaps a bit larger and a bit more chaotic, but not that different. Everything in the area was frozen solid -- from the car the four Legends were hidden behind, to the rusty mailbox five blocks down the road. Miraculously, no person had been hit, everyone ducking for cover so they weren't hit by the blast... Or maybe Freeze's aim was just as bad as Deserey's was.

"Hey, hey!" One older cop ran over to the officer who had shouted at Freeze. He had receding grey hair and thin, white facial hair; he was wearing a fedora, tie, and leather jacket. Very mismatched but that was pretty much the people of Gotham in a nutshell. It was hard to see his face from a distance, but even so Deserey could see the hardened look in his eyes, the one that said, I've been at this job for far too long and I could really use a drink right now. "What did I say about setting the perps up for puns, huh?!"

"Sorry, Bullock..."

"Bullock..." Deserey repeated quietly to herself. It had been years since she'd last seen him, she almost hadn't recognized him.

"Friend of yours?" Leonard asked. He was kind of pissed that this other guy stole his thing. (Even though technically he'd stolen Freeze's thing.)

"Eh, last time I seen him I kicked him the groin so..." Dez shrugged. Mick let out a hysterical laugh at that, as if kicking cops in the nads was the most hilarious concept to him. Deserey huffed. She so did not have the time to deal with Gotham's bull crap! She had to find her kids and save them from a creep!

Freeze was suddenly lifted into the air, suspended in the air by a grappling hook. From the roof top, a figure cloaked in shadows could be seen.

Sara stared up at the roof, tilting her head from side to side, a cute little grin on her face that Dez could have appreciate more if she wasn't so worried about her children. "He's real. Ollie owes me twenty bucks."

Dez shrugged. Batman was old news to her, and she was pretty sure she had a good idea of who he was underneath that cowl. But she had much bigger things to worry about than a stupid hunch. Why the fuck was Gotham such a big, disastrous city? She was never going to find her kids in this hell hole!

The Bat disappeared from the roof in the blink of an eye, the police moving in to take Freeze back to Arhakm...again. (How many times had they taken him in at this point?)

"Well that was...interesting?" Leonard said as the police squad cars drove off into the night.

"Gotham City..." Sara said slowly.

"What a shit fest," Deserey finished.

"I like it," Mick said.

"Mm. You would."