Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

As soon as the Waverider lands, all the Legends release their seat-belts and stand up. They’re all excitedly chatting among themselves, except for Beau who gets up from her Captain seat and walks up to the windshield. She crosses her arms over her chest as she looks through the window, up to the sky where a tiny bright spot is visible in the vast extent of blue.

Caduceus joins her and looks at the same spot. “So this is why we’re here?”

“Indeed.”

“Doesn’t look that threatening to me.” Beau and Caduceus turn and look at Veth. The halfling shrugs. “And no one has ever helped us save the timeline. We’re always the ones who come to help save Earth-1, never the other way around.”

“This is our home planet,” Beau comments.

Veth opens her mouth to reply, but she’s cut short.

“Theoretically, this is everybody’s home planet, even those who are from another Earth. They’re just different universes, but same Earths in a way.”

Beau turns to Caleb as he approaches and gives him a disenchanted look. “You know what I mean. I know all about the multiverse, but this is our Earth and our universe, the one we were born in.”

Caleb is about to retort, but he’s interrupted in turn.

“Maybe you know all about the multiverse, Beau, but I don’t!” Jester complains. “All this talking about Earth-1, Earth-2, Earth-38, and all the other Earths. I can’t keep up, you guys!” She trots to the group and stands next to Caduceus who is still staring at the sky.

“Can’t say I disagree with Jessie,” Fjord comments. He stops next to Beau and crosses his arms just like her. “This is all very confusing.”

Beau rolls her eyes and sighs. “If you guys are so confused, I’m sure Caleb will be happy to explain again. But right now, we have work to do.”

Veth raises her hand at eye level. She pinches the bright point in the sky between her forefinger and her thumb, and closes one eye like she’s aiming before shooting. “Really doesn’t look threatening to me.”

“I heard you the first time,” Beau grunts. “But believe me, once it gets closer to the planet, it will look a lot more threatening. If perspective is a concept you don’t grasp yet, I’m sure Caleb will happily explain that too.”

Caduceus smiles brightly, his eyes still fixed on the same spot. “A meteor. This is exciting.” His usual temperate tone makes it hard to believe he’s actually excited, and Jester and Veth giggle.

Beau walks toward the exit. “Now come on, Legends! Let's rock… " she spins around right before exiting the deck and winks at her teammates, "and roll out."

The Legends, team Flash, team Arrow - they’re all here. Some of the greatest heroes across all the multiverse, and they’re all reunited on one Earth. But it’s not enough.

Despite all the superpowers, despite all the geniuses among them and all the technology they have access to, despite all their attempts to change the course of the meteor and prevent it from hitting Earth, the gigantic rock is coming straight at the planet.

Firestorm flies high into the sky and sends a blast. Arrow and Speedy are harnessed to the platform of the Waverider and shoot explosive arrows. Caleb and Veth fire the ship's cannons. Everybody contributes in their own way, and with their combined efforts they actually manage to take parts of the meteor away, but it’s ridiculous in comparison to the size of the whole thing.

Inside the Waverider, Beau is freaking out. “Dammit! We won’t be able to destroy it in time.”

Fjord activates his powers and turns into Steel. “My offer still stands. I can help with my fists.”

“No, I told you, the meteor is on fire.”

“So am I!” He says as he jumps and air-punches like he’s about to get into a boxing ring.

“Fjord, no! You would get turned to ashes immediately.” She pauses and thinks for a moment. “I know what you can do to help though.”

Even with Gideon’s help, Beau has to focus to maneuver the Waverider so that Oliver and Thea can aim right. She keeps one hand on the control panel while she activates her comms with the other, < Barry, do you hear me? >

< Loud and clear! >

< Plan B is on, get ready for launch. >

< Copy! >

Beau looks at Fjord and grins at how bright his skin is in his superhero form. “Time to shine. You know what you gotta do.”

The half-orc grins widely. “Aye aye, Captain!”

He leaves the deck and rushes to the cargo bay. When he gets there, Barry is already wearing his Flash suit.

He smiles at Fjord. “Ready, partner?”

“I was born for this, buddy.”

“Let’s do it, then!” Flash pulls the hood of his suit on his head and adjusts the mask.

Fjord stands next to him. < Beau? >

< Are you ready? >

< We sure are! You can open the cargo door. >

< Gideon, get Oliver and Thea back inside. >

The voice of the AI echoes through the whole ship, “Right away, Captain.”

< Alright. Opening in 3… >

Fjord and Barry stand in front of the door.

< 2… >

Fjord grabs one of Barry’s shoulders.

< 1… >

He gets a good grip on his suit.

< Now! >

The door opens, Fjord grabs Flash with his other hand as well, gathers momentum, and… doesn’t let go.

Just as Steel is about to launch Flash so he can try to change the trajectory of the meteor with his super speed, a blinding light illuminates the whole sky and a deafening thunderclap resonates through the air.

A black blur passes the Waverider, so fast they barely see it.

“What the hell was that?” Fjord asks.

Barry beams up and smiles widely, apparently not affected that Fjord is still carrying him even though he hasn’t launched him. “Stormgirl!”

Back on the deck, Beau grins as she sees the black blur pass in front of the windshield. “Fina-fucking-ly.”

The freshly arrived heroine is bathed in an otherworldly aura and electricity is crackling all around her. She meets the meteor in a flash and when she touches it, another thunderclap resonates. The fire should burn her, but it looks like the aura is protecting her.

“How long before the impact, Gideon?”

“Fifty seven seconds, Captain.”

Beau hears footsteps coming from behind and recognizes Arrow's distorted voice. “What’s going on? Why did you pull us in?”

Beau glances over her shoulder and sees Oliver and his sister enter the deck. “We were trying to launch Flash on the meteor to deflect it, like we discussed. We couldn’t keep you on the platform, it was too dangerous.”

The two siblings stand on each side of Beau and Oliver frowns and speaks in his normal voice. “This doesn’t look like Barry. Wait. Is this-”

“She came!” Thea exclaims.

Other footsteps approach, those ones faster, and Beau hears Barry’s joyful voice both coming from behind her and directly into her ear. < She’s here! Stormgirl’s here! >

Surprised gasps echo on the channel, shortly followed by excited cheers.

< Oh my god, Yasha’s here?! You guys, Yasha’s here! >

Even though this is Firestorm’s voice, Beau recognizes Jester’s enthusiastic tone.

Fjord and Barry join the Captain and the two archers, and they all look through the windshield.

“Thirty three seconds before the impact, Captain.”

Stormgirl has been able to slow the meteor down, but it seems to be immensely hard if her frowning expression is any indication - stopping a huge rock that’s several kilometers in diameter and goes dozens of kilometers per hour is not a walk in the park, even for the strongest girl on Earth. She winces and grits her teeth, her whole body tenses impossibly more.

“She’s going to do it!” Barry exclaims excitedly. “She’s going to stop the meteor!”

“It’s impossible, even for her,” Fjord mutters in disbelief, his eyes wide open.

Beau is utterly stunned by the scene she’s witnessing. “Gideon?”

“Twenty two seconds, Captain. The meteor has lost twenty five percent of its speed already, due to friction and thanks to Stormgirl’s intervention. Current speed of the meteor: fourteen kilometers per seconds. Fourteen seconds before impact.”

Beau has seen Stormgirl in action before on the few occasions Barry or Oliver asked for other heros’ help, but as incredible as her powers are, just like Fjord she can’t believe she would be able to actually stop a meteor.

But before her very eyes, she does.

“Ten seconds.”

The flames gradually die out as the massive rock loses its speed.

“Nine.”

The meteor slows down.

“Eight.”

And slows down, and…

“Seven.”

Stops.

Gideon’s voice resonates through the ship. “Captain, the meteor has reached a speed of zero kilometers per second. Distance to the Earth's surface: one point three kilometers. No more signs of immediate danger, the impact area is safe.”

Beau lets out a deep sigh and closes her eyes as she slumps on her seat. Everybody around her cheers and she hears the rest of the team outside of the Waverider celebrate too. Only Oliver remains as stoic as usual, the corners of his mouth barely crooking up.

Beau opens her eyes and sees Stormgirl is carrying the meteor on her shoulders like Atlas would carry the Earth. Beau frowns when she sees her reposition her hands to get a better grip on it. “What is she…”

Everybody calms down and looks back at Stormgirl.

Barry leans closer to the windshield and squints. “Is she…”

Stormgirl holds onto the meteor so hard that she partially digs into the rock with her bare hands, and she starts slowly spinning.

Fjord’s skin turns back to its usual green tone. “You gotta be kidding me.”

Stormgirl spins faster and faster, gathering momentum, and then she throws the meteor back into space.

They all watch in awe and their mouths fall open, even Oliver’s.

“D-Did she just toss a freaking meteor?” Fjord stutters.

“No,” Barry whispers in awe. “She yeet .”

On the screen, Stormgirl rearranges her cape and brushes her long hair out of her face. She turns and looks around until she spots the Waverider, before she awkwardly smiles and waves at the ship and its passengers. Beau is completely unable to say or do anything after what she just witnessed. She just watches silently as she sees Firestorm join Stormgirl and hug her tightly.

This woman sure is one of a kind.

Everybody gathers on the floor and soon forms a bundle of superheroes congratulating one another. The Waverider lands close to the group and as soon as the door opens, Barry rushes to Stormgirl.

He gets to her in a literal flash and wraps her in a tight hug. “It’s so good to see you!”

The hug is a bit awkward, as Yasha is much taller and bigger than Barry, but she gladly returns it. “I’m happy to see you too.”

Barry pulls back after a few seconds and gives her a mischievous smile. “Took you long enough to get here. You better not pretend you’re faster than me ever again.”

Yasha awkwardly scratches the back of her head. “Yeah, sorry about that. I came as soon as possible, but I was busy with something on Earth-38.”

“Always busy saving the day, am I right?”

Yasha looks past Barry and smiles as she sees Oliver, Thea, Caleb, Veth and Fjord walking toward the group with Beau in front of them. Yasha smiles shyly and tries not to blush, although she knows it’s pointless. “Hey, Blue Jay.”

Beau grins in response. Fjord leans close to her and whispers something in her ear that no one else can hear. No one except Yasha, thanks to her super hearing.

“Why do you let her get away with it? I was the one who came up with this name, but you never let me call you that. It’s not- ow! ”

Beau punches him in the shoulder and glares at him. “Shut your mouth.”

Yasha barely refrains from chuckling, but she can’t help smiling.

Just a few meters away, Firestorm splits and their silhouette gives way to a very tall firbolg and a little blue tiefling. Jester looks at Beau knowingly and smirks as she is joined by Veth and Caleb. Fjord joins them next and grumbles some weak complaint as he massages his shoulder.

Barry looks at Beau, and then back at Yasha, and a cheeky smile grows on his face. “I’ll see myself out.” With that, he leaves to join Cisco.

Beau and Yasha seem completely oblivious to the looks their friends are throwing at them. They meet apart from the rest of the group and hesitantly smile at each other.

None of them says a word for a while, until Beau clears her throat. “So? Can you yeet me next?” She punctuates her question with an awkward laugh.

She hears sniggers from where her teammates are watching, probably coming from Jester and Veth, maybe Fjord too, but she ignores them. Her ears however feel very hot suddenly.

Yasha chuckles very awkwardly and tries to compose herself. “Sadly, I have a policy against yeeting pretty things.”

Beau opens her mouth to retort, but she finds nothing to say and she just chuckles in turn.

Fjord rolls his eyes. “Oh, god.”

Caduceus is standing next to him. He remains silent, but he smiles widely, visibly amused.

Beau coughs, probably too much for someone who actually doesn’t need to clear her throat. “You know, it wasn’t my first time seeing you in action, but this one was certainly impressive.”

“Well, you know,” Yasha starts with a chuckle that’s definitely too loud. “Saving planets is what I do for a living, so. Well, not exactly, I’m a re-” She stops before saying too much and then realizes there’s no use. “I mean, since you know my real identity, I guess it’s not a big deal if you know my job too. Or maybe it is. Um, I- Anyway.”

Beau giggles and this time, it sounds much more genuine and natural. “I wouldn’t mind knowing more about you.”

Yasha literally freezes. She looks Beau straight in the eyes and stutters heavily as she apparently tries to form a sentence, which only makes Beau laugh more.

After a few seconds, Beau takes pity. “We better get going. Saving planets is definitely cool, but time needs saving as well, and we’ve got work to do.”

“Oh, yeah. Sure.”

“It was nice seeing you, Stormgirl.”

“Yeah, it was nice seeing you too, Blue Canary.”

Beau turns around and looks at her teammates. “Come on, guys! Time doesn’t wait.”

Jester giggles and Caleb grins, and all of the Legends follow after Beau.

They’re about to get on board the Waverider when Beau hears her name called and stops. She turns and sees Yasha walk up to her.

“Maybe I could help you some other time.”

Beau is surprised by the offer and raises one eyebrow.

“Not that I think you or your team need help,” Yasha adds hastily, “you all are doing an amazing job. I mean, I guess you are. The timeline is not falling apart, so. But yeah, if you ever need me, I could give you a hand. Well, not like that, just- Ugh! Just call me if you need me, okay?”

Beau hears Veth and Jester giggle once more, and although she’s slightly flustered, she’s also amused. “Will do.”

With that, all the Legends get on board.

Beau is the last one to hop on and she turns and waves. “Bye, Yasha.”

“Bye, Beau.”

The door closes and a few minutes later, the Waverider takes off, flying back to the temporal zone to wait until the next aberration shows up and calls for the Legends’ intervention.

Chapter Text

Beau frantically turns the page and her eyes run across the lines like her life depends on how fast she can read.

Jester has been talking about this book for weeks now, telling Beau how good it was and promising she would love it. Beau has meant to read it, really, but free time is rare when you’re the captain of a timeship and you have to manage a team of… not exactly idiots, but something close to this. She loves these idiots with her whole heart, she does, but sometimes their chaotic energy can be a lot, especially when you have to deal with anachronisms on a daily basis and Damien Darhk has decided to make this task even more difficult than it already is.

But today is the day she’s finally reading Tusk Love , and she has to admit Jester wasn’t lying about it or exaggerating: this book is truly absorbing. Some would say that erotic novels are not real literature, but Beau knows better than this.

She’s getting to a juicy scene when the ship gets suddenly rocked.

She almost drops the book and after a short moment she hears ruckus. She rushes out of her quarters and follows the commotion straight to the main deck. All of her teammates are gathered and chatting animatedly.

“What’s going on?”

Caleb turns to her. “I think an anachronism caused a disturbance in the temporal zone, which in turn caused a timequake.”

“A what now?” Fjord asks.

“A timequake. That’s the name I came up with for these phenomena.”

Fjord looks skeptical but doesn’t comment.

“Gideon, the anachronism, please,” Beau requests.

The AI displays a map of time and information about the anachronism on the screen, and Jester gasps. “Level 12?!”

“Level 10 didn’t do it justice,” Gideon explains. “Leif Erikson’s Vikings set up a colony in the New World around 1000 AD.”

Caleb takes a look at the screen and then glances at the rest of the team. “The Vikings discovered the Americas 492 years before Columbus, but due to Erikson’s adoption of Christinaity, the Vikings decided to head home.” He looks back at the screen. “Sorry, Gideon. Go on.”

“In this version of History, the Vikings stayed and conquered all of North America.” An image of the Statue of Liberty wearing a Viking helmet and carrying a shield and a sword shows up. “Or as it’s called now, New Valhalla.”

"Wonderful," Beau grumbles. "Okay, Legends! Looks like we have a new mission."

"Maybe we could ask for Stormgirl's help?" Jester suggests.

"Why?"

"Well, she offered last time, right? And I mean, she's from a nomadic tribe."

"Not all tribes are Vikings, and Vikings weren't exactly tribes," Caleb says.

"I know, Caleb." The tiefling doesn't sound or look offended, rather amused by Caleb’s very serious expression. "But maybe her knowledge could be useful on the field."

"That's a good idea," Fjord says with a nod. 

"Thanks, Fjord!"

The half-orc cheeks get slightly darker and he smiles coyly.

"Yeah, that’s a good idea," Beau admits. "I'm gonna call her, you guys get prepared."

"Aye aye, Captain!" Veth shouts as she dashes out with Caleb following her.

The other members of the crew follow suit and soon, Beau is alone on the deck.

She faces the screen and casually leans on the table. “Gideon, call Stormgirl, please.”

“I’m sorry, Captain, but I have no direct way to call Stormgirl. Would you like me to contact the Department of Extranormal Operations instead?”

“Yeah, just find a way to reach her.”

“Right away, Captain.”

Beau waits a few moments before a long beep rings. “Gideon, what’s going on?”

The beep stops. “I’m sorry, Captain, but it seems that I can’t reach the DEO.”

Beau frowns. “Why?”

“The call was rejected.”

“The fuck is going on?” Beau sighs in exasperation, stands up from the table and crosses her arms on her chest. “Can you try again, please?”

“I’m afraid I can’t. It seems that we’ve been blacklisted.”

“Seriously?” Beau uncrosses her arms angrily. “What’s wrong with these people? Who offers help and then rejects calls? I swear, if we find a way to call them or if I see this Stormgirl again, I’ll-”

“Sorry to interrupt your tantrum, Captain, but we have an incoming call.”

“Who is it?”

“The DEO.”

“Seriously?!”

“Should I put them on?”

“Yeah, I’d like to tell them a few things.”

A short-haired woman appears on the screen with a regretful look on her face. “Captain Lionett?”

“That would be me, yes.”

“Agent Vasquez. I’m terribly sorry, there was a misunderstanding. I thought-”

“What the fuck is wrong with you, people? Why did you not take my call and then fucking blacklisted us?”

“It was a misunderstanding. We couldn’t localize the-”

Beau hears a ‘whoosh’ sound and suddenly Stormgirl is standing in the frame with a very embarrassed expression. “Don’t yell at Vasquez, that’s on me.”

Beau crosses her arms again and raises her eyebrows.

“I was at work. I mean, my other work. I was told there was a suspicious incoming call that none of our devices could pinpoint, and the security protocol was activated. I figured it must be you and I immediately came and explained the situation. Vasquez called you back as soon as she knew it was safe. It’s strange that we couldn’t localize you, we receive calls from Earth-1 pretty often.”

“It’s because we’re not on Earth-1 at the moment.” Yasha tilts her head to the side with an interrogative look on her face, and Beau continues with a tone slightly less angry but still annoyed. "I didn't realize you might not be able to localize us while we’re in the temporal zone and you would freak out."

"Um, this one's on me too. I might have forgotten to warn the DEO that someone from another universe might try to contact me. Sorry."

Beau grits her teeth but she bites her tongue and doesn’t say anything.

“Let me just get to another room real quick and we’ll talk,” Stormgirl says with an awkward smile.

“Yeah, whatev-” Beau doesn’t have time to finish before the call is transferred and Stormgirl appears in a different room, alone this time. “-er. Wow. I've known Barry for years, but I think I’ll never get used to this.”

“Sorry.”

“No, it’s fine. That’s cool actually, and very useful I guess.”

“It sure is,” Stormgirl confirms with a coy smile. “So, how can I help you?”

“You’re from a nomadic tribe, right?”

“Um. I’m not sure where this is going but yes, I am.”

“Great. We could probably use your help. We’ve got a pretty serious anachronism here and apparently North America is now called New Valhalla.”

“Uhhh. What?”

“Yeah, sorry. I guess the anachronism has consequences only on Earth-1. Jester and Fjord were right, this multiverse thing is confusing,” Beau says to herself.

“I’m not sure how I can help you.”

“Vikings apparently conquered all of North America. We’ve gotta figure out why and how this happened, and we’ve gotta make sure History stays as it should be. Usual Legends’ business.”

“Okay. And how am I useful to this mission?”

“Your knowledge on tribal life might help us, and you’ll probably blend in just fine,” she says with a wave of her hand.

Stormgirl smiles shyly. She readjusts the fur collar of her cape and the symbol that holds it in place. “I guess I will.”

“Is that a yes?”

“There’s no major threat at the moment, so I guess I could leave for a bit. Could you drop me if I’m needed here?”

“Of course.”

“Great. Where can I find you then?”

“Well. We’re somewhere out of time, so I’m not sure where this is.”

Stormgirl gives her a strange look.

“I think we should come and pick you up,” Beau suggests.

“Yeah, that’s probably better.”

“We’ll get you and then we can go to 1000 AD.”

“Go to 1000 AD?” Yasha chuckles. “Legends’ business sounds fun.”

“You have no idea, Stormgirl,” Beau says with a grin.

“Should I take anything with me?”

“Nah, you’re good. If you need something our ship can craft it for you.”

“Your ship travels through time, space, and can craft anything?” Yasha’s tone is half-impressed, half-teasing.

“Perks of being a Legend,” Beau retorts with a shit-eating grin. “We’ll be here soon.”

“Can’t wait to see you. Your ship! I mean your ship.”

Beau smirks, but she also feels her cheeks warm up a bit. “You’ve already seen it.”

“Um. Yeah, it’s true. But only the outside of it. I can’t wait to see your ship from the inside. No, not-” She pauses for a few seconds and Beau is sure she has never seen her pale skin so blushed before. “I’ll wait for you at the DEO.”

The call ends and Beau can’t help chuckling. This mission should be interesting.

The Viking camp is buzzing with agitation while the warriors and citizens are moving around, going about their lives and attending to the various needs of the clan. Some are bringing wood for fire, others appear to be freshly back from hunting and are carrying rabbits - all the clan members are making themselves useful and they’re all busy.

The Legends are positioned all around the camp, hidden behind trees and in bushes with binoculars and various devices to try and figure out what might have caused the anachronism.

Beau is with Stormgirl, watching and studying the Vikings moving about. < Anything? >

She hears Fjord’s voice coming from her earbud. < Nothing here. >

< Well, technically, we saw something. > Jester interjects. < There were a bunch of birds, and a deer. So we didn’t see nothing , technically. >

Caduceus is next, his voice as calm and deep as usual. < I-I believe it was a buck. >

< What’s the difference? > Jester asks with a genuinely intrigued tone.

There’s a short silence and Beau can’t help rolling her eyes. She catches Yasha grinning with an amused expression.

She hears Caduceus respond with a very serious tone. < Bucks are smaller. Deers are larger and they’re not really a species, they’re more like a- Like a group, you know. They’re a family, yes, that’s the word I was looking for. There are red deers, sika deers, white-tailed deer- >

Beau huffs, slightly annoyed but also genuinely amused by this strange conversation. < Okay, guys. Sorry to interrupt, but deers and bucks talks can wait until we’re back on the ship. >

Yasha’s grin widens a bit and Beau thinks she sees her smother a chuckle.

She focuses back on the mission. < Caleb? >

< We have eyes on Leif Erikson and his sister Freydis. >

< Any idea what the anachronism might be? >

< Leif wants to return to Greenland, but it seems Freydis has other plans and wants- >

He pauses and Beau doesn’t know if he got interrupted or if something is interfering with their comms. < Caleb? You here? >

< Ja . Sorry, we were listening to their conversation. >

< Freydis just mentioned a blue God. > Veth explains.

Beau frowns and turns to ask Yasha, < Do you know any god from Norse mythology that would be blue? >

< Doesn’t ring a bell. > Stormgirl pauses. She looks hesitant, but then she cuts the communication off and Beau does the same. She awkwardly stares at Beau with an ill-at-ease expression. “Um, Beau.”

“Yeah?”

“Would it be okay for you to call it pantheon instead of mythology? Cause, you know, they’re real.”

“Oh.” Beau is taken aback by the request but nods. “Um, sure.”

“Thanks.”

Beau looks back at the Vikings’ camp and reactivates the communication. < Okay, guys. Since this is probably not an actual god from the pantheon, we need to figure out who they’re talking about. Stay on the lookout and keep everybody else updated. >

< Copy that. > Fjord replies.

< Caleb and I will keep our ears open. > Veth says.

The transmission ends and silence settles.

While Beau and Stormgirl are monitoring the camp, questions are bouncing inside Beau’s head. She fidgets with her staff and readjusts her crouched position to ease her knees.

When curiosity eventually beats her and she can’t keep her mouth shut any longer, she clears her throat. “So… You think these gods are real?”

Yasha turns and stares at Beau. She looks relaxed and confident when she speaks. “I don’t think they’re real, I know they are.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because my powers come from one of them.”

Beau raises a skeptical eyebrow. “From one of the Norse gods?”

Yasha chuckles softly and smiles. “No, I follow a god from another pantheon.”

Realization dawns on Beau and she opens shock-widened eyes. “Wait. You’re serious about this? You actually get your powers from a god?”

“Yeah. I thought Barry told you.”

“No, we never discussed this. Which god is it?”

“He’s called the Stormlord. He’s the god of storms and the lord of battle and warfare.”

“Ah, explains the whole aesthetic,” she says with a hand motion to Stormgirl’s whole frame.

Yasha stares at Beau and notices her still dubious expression. She’s not upset with her - a lot of people have the same reaction when she tells them - but she gets from relaxed to serious. “He means a lot to me. I owe him, not only because he made me Stormgirl.”

Beau raises her eyebrows with genuine interest. “What else do you owe him?”

Stormgirl’s expression gets even more serious. “He was there for me when I needed guidance.”

Beau opens her mouth to respond, but she gets interrupted by Veth’s voice in her ear.

< We lost our visual, Captain. >

< What do you mean, you lost your visual? >

< We still have eyes on Leif, but Freydis left our field of vision. > Caleb clarifies.

< Well, where is she now? >

Fjord briskly interjects. < It’s okay, Beau, we have eyes on her. She just entered a hut guarded by two people, there must be something important inside. Should we go in? >

< No, it’s too risky. >

< We could wait until she’s gone. >

< We would have to get rid of the guards and we don’t know what we would find inside. Stay where you are, we’ll meet at the ship and decide on a plan of action. >

Stormgirl glances at Beau. < Maybe I can help. >

Beau gives her an intrigued look and listens carefully.

< I can sort of see through things. Well, not exactly. I can sense things? >

< Can you get information about what’s inside without going inside? >

< I think I can. >

< Great. Fjord, send us your exact location. Caleb, Veth, meet us there. >

As soon as Beau receives Fjord’s location, Stormgirl and she leave their position and reconvene with Fjord, Jester and Caduceus.

Jester points at a hut, probably the one Fjord mentioned. “You guys just missed Freydis, she left just a moment ago.”

A sudden turmoil coming from the undergrowth behind them makes them all turn, and Veth startles everybody when she jumps out of the bushes. “We saw her on our way here, she looked pissed.”

Beau looks at Stormgirl. “Can you do your thing?”

“I’ll do my best.” She closes her eyes and mutters under her breath.

Caleb leans closer to Beau and whispers. “What is she doing?”

“Apparently she can sense stuff, whatever that means. She might be able to figure out who’s inside this hut.”

Stormgirl opens her eyes and looks at the Legends. “There’s no one inside.”

Beau frowns. “This Blue God must be somewhere else.”

Fjord stares at the hut. “But if there are guards there must be something important inside. I still think we should go in.”

“We are not going in.”

“Where is she going, then?” Caduceus suddenly asks, interrupting their discussion.

Everybody turns in the direction Caduceus is pointing and they see Veth sneaking up to the hut.

Beau angrily activates her communication. < Veth, get back here right now. >

Veth keeps moving forward and Beau has a feeling she heard her but chose to ignore her order.

Fjord immediately gets excited at the prospect of finally taking action. “Should we go help her?”

“No,” Beau replies harshly. “Everybody stays where they are.”

Beau watches anxiously as Veth sneaks up to the hut. The two guards don’t see her and once she gets there she peeks inside through a makeshift window.

“I will murder her,” Beau says under her breath. She looks at Stormgirl. “Can’t you sense anything else?”

“All I can say is there is nothing alive, magical, or divine inside of this hut.”

“Nothing else?”

Stormgirl looks embarrassed as she responds. “My powers are not limitless, I’m sorry. But whatever they call the Blue God, maybe it is inside.”

“What do you mean?”

“Maybe the thing they’re worshipping is not a living being.”

The Legends all throw her confused looks, but before someone can ask for clarification, Veth’s voice suddenly shouts through comms.

< Guys! This is not a who. >

< Can you be a bit more precise? > Beau groans.

< The Blue God is not a who, it’s a what . A toy, it’s a freaking toy! >

Beau briskly turns and looks at Stormgirl, aghast as she realizes that she was right.

The Blue God is not living and breathing - it’s a freaking toy.

The quiet buzzing of the various screens and devices of the Waverider is disrupted by the sound of hasty footsteps as the Legends barge into the main deck.

“Are you 100% sure this was a Beebo?” Beau asks with a look to Veth as they’re walking side by side.

“I have a kid, remember?”

“Yeah, a kid that prefers playing with toy guns rather than stuffed toys.”

“Yeza would actually prefer that Luc played with stuffed toys, which is why he tried buying him a Beebo once, but it was turned into a shooting target. So yes, I saw a Beebo from up close before and I’m 100% this was one of these obnoxious toys.”

The Legends all gather around the central block of screens. Fjord leans on it nonchalantly, but Beau stays up right and looks at all of them.

“All right, so let me get this straight. The Vikings think that Beebo is a god. Beebo as in, ‘Wow, wow, Beebo love you.’”

Caduceus smiles blissfully. “The anachronisms we’ve been dealing with lately are fun, aren’t they?”

Stormgirl is thrown-off by this strange comment, and even Caduceus’ teammates who are used to his offputting observations give him strange looks.

Beau doesn’t dwell on it and quickly moves on. “We need to act and we need to act now. This anachronism is cementing fast.”

Caleb gives her an interrogative look. “How do you know?”

“I called the Time Bureau on our way back to the Waverider, and I don’t know what got into Essek, but he tried to make a joke. He said that the Legends fixing a level 12 anachronism would be a ‘Beebo Day miracle’. So apparently, Christmas is now called Beebo Day.”

Fjord stands straight, suddenly very concerned. “Oh. That’s a problem.”

“It is. So we better exfiltrate this stupid toy quick before things get worse.” She pauses and looks at her teammates. “So, any suggestions on how to do it?”

Jester, who’s been sitting on the stairs leading to the elevated part of the deck, stands up excitedly. “We could dress up as Norse gods and tell them to go back to Greenland!”

Beau gives her a skeptical look. “I know you have a history with fake gods, but no.”

The tiefling looks outraged and offended, and Stormgirl frowns and stares at her, intrigued by what this comment might be about.

“Anyone else?” Beau asks.

There is a short silence before Stormgirl speaks up. “Um, if I can make a suggestion?”

“Of course, you’re part of the team.”

Stormgirl is pleasantly surprised and smiles shyly before she takes a serious tone. “We should check the lunar calendar. The Vikings celebrated a lot of pagan holidays. Maybe there’s one around the corner? This would provide us with a good cover to infiltrate their camp.”

Caleb has his arms crossed on his chest and his eyes are fixed on a specific point of the screen in front of him, although he doesn’t seem to be actually looking at it. He has a very serious expression as he nods. “That’s a good idea. Gideon, can you check the lunar calendar, please?”

“Right away, Dr. Widogast.” A few seconds pass before the lunar calendar appears on all of the screens for everyone to see, as well as other documents and a name. “It appears that today is Yuletide.”

“Yule-what?” Fjord asks with a flabbergasted expression.

Veth jumps onto the stool set for her to reach the screen. “Isn’t it like Christmas?”

“Sort of,” Stormgirl responds with a nod. “Yuletide was the ancestor of Christmas before the Christians rebranded it. My tribe isn’t big on celebrations, but even they have something similar to it, so there should be a huge feast tonight.”

Beau looks up from the screen. “Perfect cover, then. Stormgirl, you should act as our leader.”

Yasha is surprised and slightly taken aback. “Who? Me?”

“You clearly know more than we do.”

“But I’m terrible at this, my best friend always does the talking.”

“There’s a first time for everything, I guess.”

Yasha tries to protest further, but Jester claps excitedly. “Gideon, prepare costumes for everyone! Except Yasha, you’re perfect as you are!”

Stormgirl looks at her suit, then back at Jester. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah, you’re great! Maybe just extra fur to cover the emblem on your chest and because it’s cold outside, but the rest is perfect.”

Beau looks at Stormgirl with a detached look on her face, like she’s about to ask the most casual question. “Do you like blue?”

“Um. Yes?” Stormgirl asks in confusion.

“Great! We can make you a nice new fur collar once we’re back with Beebo then.”

Jester stares at Beau with a deeply shocked expression, “Beau!”

Yasha is taken aback by Beau’s unexpected offer, but she chuckles discreetly at Jester’s reaction.

Beau rolls her eyes. “Oh, come on! It’s just a toy.”

Fjord throws her a look that shows he is just as outraged as Jester. “What is wrong with you?”

Beau deeply sighs, “You guys have no sense of humour. Never mind. Go change and hurry up, we have a feast to attend!”

Now all geared up, the Legends plus Stormgirl approach the Vikings’ camp. They’re not trying to be stealthy and so they’re immediately spotted as they march on the beach. There’s some agitation among the camp and soon, Leif and Freydis come out with a few warriors to meet them halfway.

Leif is ahead of the group, his hand on the hilt of his sword although it’s still sheathed. “Halt! Who goes there?”

No Legend speaks up and silence settles as they exchange awkward looks, waiting for someone to talk.

Beau looks at Stormgirl, expecting her to say something, but she doesn’t seem willing to take the lead. The Captain of the Waverider steps forward before the silence becomes really uncomfortable. “We come in peace.”

Freydis walks up to the Legends and stands next to her brother. She’s much more hostile than him when she speaks up. “Who are you?”

“We recently berthed on these shores and our scouting party spotted your camp earlier today. We thought Yuletide would be a good occasion to meet the members of a companion clan.”

Freydis is about to reply, but Leif is quicker. “It’s a pleasure to meet fellow warriors on this land. I am Leif, son of Erik.”

Beau was unprepared for such a formal introduction, and she’s suddenly hesitant. “I am Beau-'' a slight head shake from Stormgirl makes it clear that she should be careful choosing her next words - these Vikings are not to joke around. She swallows the second half of her sentence and starts again. "... - rigitta... Beaurigitta Lejonhjärta."

The two siblings seem to be surprised by the name. Freydis throws her a suspicious look. “I never heard a name like this before. Where are you f-”

Beau quickly interrupts her before she can ask any embarrassing question. “And this is our leader.” She glances at Stormgirl expectantly.

“I am Yash.”

Beau turns her head toward her very slowly and stares at her, offended that she didn’t make any effort, and grunts under her breath, “Really?”

Stormgirl remains focused on Leif. “Yash Gustavsdottir.”

Leif gives her a warm smile and a slight bow of the head. “Hail, Yash, daughter of Gustav.”

Freydis pointedly looks at Beau. “You didn’t say who your father was.”

“Does it matter?”

Fjord senses Beau’s irritation and immediately interferjects to keep the conversation cordial. “She never knew her father, actually.”

Freydis’ eyes instantly land on him with a very cold expression. She squints at him and throws him a dubious look, and he holds her stare without flinching.

Leif doesn’t seem unsettled by his sister’s attitude and keeps speaking jovially. “Your visit is a pleasant Yuletide surprise. Would you like to join our feast?”

Freydis disengages from her silent confrontation with Fjord and whispers to Leif. “Are you sure this is wise, brother? We know nothing about these people.”

Beau glances at Veth. The halfling has a cask next to her that she’s been rolling all the way from the Waverider. Beau looks at the Vikings with a smirk, “We brought booze.”

Suddenly, all the Vikings burst into cheering at the mention of booze. Leif looks at the warriors in sheer amusement while Freydis stares at Beau with a very distrustful expression.

The Legends are led to the main hut of the camp. As they’re walking, Stormgirl is ahead with Leif marching next to her, while Beau and Freydis are right behind them and the rest of the Legends and the Vikings are last.

“Tell me of your clan,” Leif inquires as he glances curiously at the Legends. “You certainly are an odd collection.”

Although Stormgirl willingly chose to walk at the front to actually appear as a leader, she is suddenly hesitant, “Um.” She glances at Beau, looking for help and support.

Beau gives her an encouraging head motion in response.

Yasha looks back at Leif. “We’re from all over. I was the last to arrive, actually.”

“Really? And you’re leading your clan?”

“It seems so.”

“That shows great leadership.”

Stormgirl slightly bows her head. “I’m very grateful that they’re trusting me with this.” She glances at Beau again and they exchange a small smile.

Freydis walks up to Yasha and adjusts her pace to hers. “Where are you from?”

“I, um. I don’t exactly know where I was born, but as a child I was taken in by a tribe. I mean a clan. But things ended poorly and I had to leave.”

Beau’s attention is immediately caught. She gives Yasha an intrigued look but she doesn’t question her. This is not the right place nor the right time, and she wouldn’t pry on her private life.

“What happened?” Freydis asks, apparently not bothering with respecting personal boundaries.

Beau glares at her. “You ask a lot of questions.”

“I’m simply looking out for my clan,” Freydis replies harshly. “I don’t want to welcome anyone among us that would be a threat for our safety.”

The tension between Beau and Freydis is palpable as they enter the hut where the feast is taking place.

Leif doesn’t seem to notice, or maybe he is willingly ignoring it. “Please, take a seat. Tonight, you are our guests. Eat and drink as much as you’d like.”

Beau takes a quick look around to try and locate Beebo, but the toy is nowhere to be seen. She looks at Leif, “We will make sure to honor the food and drink granted by the gods.” She bows her head and then glances at Freydis to see if she has any reaction.

Freydis stares right at Beau. Her face is harsh and closed-off, and it’s hard to see any change in her expression of behavior.

The two siblings leave the Legends to their business and Beau’s team scatters among the Vikings to chat with them and try to collect information. 

Beau and Yasha stick together like they did for reconnaissance and walk around, looking for people to talk to.

Stormgirl is tense, which causes her to stand to her whole height and makes her appear even taller than Beau. She realizes the Captain of the Waverider barely reaches her shoulder when she looks at her, and the height difference makes her pause for a moment before she regains her composure. “I would have thought the Time Bureau didn’t let agents meddle with the locals.”

“They don’t,” Beau replies stoically.

Stormgirl is surprised, and although Beau is not looking at her she must feel her confusion as she proceeds to clarify.

“The Legends are not exactly known to follow rules.”

“And there’s no sanctions?”

Beau is scanning the room with an intense concentration. “Plenty. Well, not exactly sanctions, more like admonitions from Essek. But he knows we do the job in the end.” She looks at Yasha with a grin, “I’m sure you break a few rules yourself when you need to get the job done.”

Stormgirl stutters awkwardly in a vain attempt to deny it, and then gives up and clears her throat. “You mentioned this Essek before. Who is he?”

Beau is back to watching the room in search of people they could talk to. “He’s a high-ranked agent of the Bureau.”

“High-ranked as in Director?”

“No, Dairon is the Director. They used to be the Captain of the Waverider, they recruited all of us, but then they stepped down and asked me to take their position.”

“Oh. Cool. That’s… Yeah, that’s really cool. Great Captain, you’re a great Captain.”

Beau gives her an amused look and smiles.

Yasha readjusts the fur covering her emblem. “I feel ridiculous with this on top of my suit.”

Beau raises one eyebrow and takes a good look at her. “Nah, you look good.”

Yasha is taken by surprise at first, but then she smiles shyly and feels her cheeks and pointy ears warm up.

Beau suddenly hears laughter and turns in the direction it’s coming from. She spots two men talking loud and drinking together at a table. “Come on. I think I found some fellows to have a drink with, and maybe a chat.”

Stormgirl follows suit, back to a secondary role instead of the leader Beau asked her to be. It’s hard to beat your inner nature, especially with someone that screams leadership as Beau does.

They walk up to the two men and stand in front of them.

“Are these seats taken?” Beau asks with evident self confidence.

One of the men takes a look at both of them and grins. “I guess they are now. Join us, have a seat.”

“Can we at least hear your names first?”

“I’m Skopti, and this is Gudrik.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“What are your names?”

“This is our leader Yash,” Beau says with a hand motion toward Stormgirl, “and I am Beaurigitta. You can call me Beau.”

The other man throws Yasha a strange look. “I never met a leader who let other warriors speak for them.”

The one named Skopti, who doesn’t look very bright, doesn’t seem to care that they’re acting so strange. He grins widely, “Try to be a bit more welcoming, Gudrik.” He turns to Beau and Yasha. “Well, Yash and Beau, welcome! Don’t be shy, take a seat.”

They oblige and sit facing the two men.

Skopti leans close, “Where are your horns? Let us fill them for you.”

Beau and Yasha grab the horns hanging from their belts and the Viking pours a drink for each of them.

“To the Blue God!” Skopti shouts.

They all take a big swig of mead before they set their horns on the table.

Beau wipes her mouth and looks at Skopti specifically. “Who is this Blue God we’re drinking to?”

The two men look at her pointedly and this time, even Skopti seems suspicious.

Beau elbows Stormgirl for help and Yasha clears her throat. “We never heard anything about this Blue God, but we arrived on these shores only recently. Does he inhabit these lands?”

Skopti hesitates shortly before he explains, “He appeared to us a few days ago in the woods. Gudrik and I were part of the scouting party that found him. Freydis says he’s the one who called us to these lands.”

Stormgirl exchanges a glance with Beau and then focuses on the Viking. “Where would we go if we wanted to meet him?”

Skopti  grins, “I’m curious to see how well the members of your clan can hold their mead. We will take you to the Blue God if you can drink faster than us.”

“Deal,” Yasha agrees without a second thought.

Beau smirks and nods approvingly.

Gudrik pours another drink for everybody and they all raise their horns.

“Here we go!” Beau shouts.

They all start drinking, but in a matter of seconds it’s clear that the two Vikings don’t stand a chance. Beau and Yasha finish first, and while Beau shakes her head a bit after drinking so fast, Yasha doesn’t seem affected at all by the volume she just ingested in such a short time.

Skopti grunts in disbelief and opens wide eyes. “By Odin’s spear, you bested us! Beautiful.” He glances at his companion with a satisfied grin, “And they can hold their mead.” He looks back at Beau and Yasha, “Tell us which of these clansmen are your husbands, and we’ll kill them.”

Yasha slightly recoils and tilts her head, “Oh. I’m not really the husband kind.”

Beau instantly turns her head in her direction. She’s had a feeling Stormgirl has been more or less receptive to her lame attempts at flirting, and she thought she might have tried to flirt back a few times. The nickname - Blue Jay - she’s stolen from Fjord and playfully uses from time to time should have been a sign, if Beau needed one, but she still thought she might have been imagining it. Beau stares at Yasha with an intrigued and interested look, but then she notices how sad Yasha suddenly looks.

Skopti bursts out laughing. “Perfect! Me neither!”

Beau looks away from Yasha and turns her attention to the Vikings. “All right. You guys said if we won, you’d take us to see your Blue God.”

Skopti stares at her hesitantly. “Two out of three!”

Beau groans and rolls her eyes, but Yasha doesn’t react - she looks suddenly very distracted and preoccupied.

Before Beau can decide if she wants to try and convince the Vikings to take them to Beebo now or if she’s down for a drinking contest instead, a sudden stir catches Stormgirl’s attention and hers. They turn toward the entrance and see Veth is brought in by Vikings, with Freydis leading the group.

She stops in front of the crowd and points at Veth. “Fellow warriors! Our guest has been stealing mead from the Blue God!”

Beau looks for Caleb among the mob. When she spots him they exchange an anxious look.

Freydis keeps going with a strong voice while Veth looks deeply unimpressed by the whole situation, if not annoyed. “And now, our god will render judgement.”

Veth shakes her head with an apathetic expression while all the Vikings chant Beebo’s name.

The toy is brought in on some sort of litter. Everybody stands up, including the Legends and Stormgirl.

“How judge you, Beebo?” Freydis steps forward and strokes the belly of the toy.

Beebo giggles and then talks in a creepy voice, “Beebo hungry.”

“Our God demands justice! To the pyre!”

All the Vikings cheer, apparently very enthusiastic at the prospect of burning someone alive.

Beau huffs and activates her earbud. < Jester and Caduceus, you’re on Beebo. Everyone else, let’s make sure Veth doesn’t get burned alive. >

Jester and Caduceus slip away while the rest of the Legends follow after Veth and the Vikings.

Stormgirl stays close to Beau and whispers with an anxious tone, “What do we do?”

“Don’t worry, we’ve got it under control.”

They arrive at the pyre and gather around it, not intervening for now.

Beau looks at Caleb from across the pile of wood that the Vikings are currently lighting up with torches. < Caleb, do you have Veth’s cold gun with you? >

< No, why would I have it? She always has it with her. >

< Dammit! >

A strong gust of wind suddenly blows and while Beau’s hair is tied and doesn’t whip her face, she sees from the corner of her eyes that Stormgirl’s is floating. She doesn’t look bothered by it though, and she takes a look around and grins. “Perfect timing,” Beau hears her mutter under her breath.

Stormgirl leans close to Beau, “I have an idea.”

“It better be a good idea, otherwise we’re screwed.”

“Do you trust me?”

The pyre is now lit up and the flames are growing.

“I don’t really have a choice.”

Freydis stares at Veth and then gives a head motion toward the pyre. “Into the flames!”

The halfling is slowly losing her nerve and starts to panic. “Uh, guys? What are you waiting for? I know I’m a pain in the ass sometimes, but you’re not gonna let me burn, are you?”

Beau glances at Yasha impatiently, “Now would be great, Sto-” She turns and instantly freezes when she sees Stormgirl’s eyes crackling with energy that matches the hue of each of her eyes - one of them a light greenish-blue, and the other a violet color. Her mouth falls open, “Holy shit.”

Two Vikings grab Veth and the halfling screams, “No, no, no!”

They’re about to throw her into the flames, but all of a sudden lightning strikes the pyre and sends wood flying into the air. Beau and everybody else jump out of their skins.

Beau looks up to the sky and her eyes widen. She’s certain there were no clouds at all when they walked out of the hut just a few minutes ago, but now the sky is full of them. “What the fuck is going on?”

She looks down and sees the fire is still burning from the lightning bolt that just hit the ground, but there’s absolutely nothing left of the pyre. A religious silence has settled and when she takes a look around, she sees Leif and Freydis are utterly stunned.

Beau is about to turn and ask Stormgirl if she’s responsible for what just happened, but Fjord catches her attention and everybody else’s as he steps forward. “It’s a sign! Beebo doesn’t want our clanswoman to be burned.”

Fjord looks at Beau while Leif and Freydis stare at him with dazed expressions, and she gives him an encouraging nod.

Caleb steps forward in turn to support his teammate. “The Blue God has shown mercy.”

Beau is starting to believe they might get away with it when an infuriating laugh echoes in the distance and makes her grit her teeth.

They all turn around, Legends and Vikings all together as one.

Beebo waves its arms in Caduceus’ grip. “I lo-lo-love you.” The toy chuckles and Beau is sure she’s never heard a sound so irritating.

Caduceus leans in and whispers to Jester, “I accidentally squeezed him.”

“He’s so damn huggable,” Jester whispers back with an anxious look on her face.

Freydis draws her sword and points it in their direction, “Unhand him or die!”

All the Vikings draw their swords and the Legends take out their own weapons.

Beau grins and speaks in a smug voice, showing off a bit to Stormgirl, “Looks like you’re about to see the Legends in action.”

She looks at Stormgirl for the first time since she interfered and saved Veth, and as she does she freezes once more.

Where there was energy in her eyes before, lightning is now crackling. The wind blows again, stronger than earlier, and it’s like a burst of electricity suddenly shocks her: her eyes brighten up while the lightning in them intensifies, her orbits looking like two tiny storms.

Stormgirl looks right at Freydis while she takes the extra fur off of her shoulders, revealing her whole suit. Beau’s eyes open wide when she sees it. The seams of the suit and the emblem on her chest are glowing a dim blue light, and every time the wind blows or Stormgirl moves, they glow brighter. The same aura that was visible when she stopped the meteor is here again. Electricity is running across her whole body and even when the wind dies down her hair is gently floating in the air, seemingly because of the sheer energy emanating from her.

Leif looks truly scared and takes a step back. Freydis however, although she was frightened too at first, has composed herself. She lifts her sword above her head and lets out a battle cry. “Fight for the Blue God and get him back!”

Her zeal seems to reinvigorate the other Vikings and they all tighten their grip on their shields and weapons and jump into the fray.

As soon as they charge, Stormgirl takes off. She flies several meters above the ground and as she does, her suit illuminates with more intensity. She releases electricity through both of her hands while thunder is rolling in the distance, and she knocks out several warriors at once.

Beau takes a quick look at her and grins before she focuses on the fight ahead of her. She swirls her staff expertly and easily stops the sword of the first warrior that attacks her. He pushes forward with his weapon and tries to go for a shield hit, but Beau dodges out of the way. She spins, holds her staff in her right hand, and channels all of her ki in her left fist to land a devastating punch that throws the Viking to the ground.

Jester and Caduceus clasp their hands together and merge into Firestorm. Their silhouette remains similar to Jester’s, although taller, their eyes turn a searing white color, and waves of energy appear around their head and hands. They join Stormgirl in the air and they cover their friends from above while they keep Beebo under one arm.

Fjord charges through the Vikings, unbothered by their attempts at slashing him as his skin has turned to steel. He tosses them all out of his way until he reaches Veth who’s been struggling with the man and the woman who were about to throw her in the flames. He grabs the man and throws him aside like he weighs nothing, then counters the woman’s sword with his forearm and kicks her away.

Veth glares at him. “It took you guys long enough!”

“A ‘thank you’ would be nice.”

“Untie me and we’ll be even.”

Fjord rolls his eyes and draws his sword to cut the rope restraining Veth’s wrists.

“Watch out!” Veth shouts.

Fjord turns just in time to grab the sword that was about to hit him. He tilts his head to the side, “That’s not very nice,” and headbutts the woman in the face.

Now free, Veth pulls out her cold gun and looks around with the face of a mad woman. “You’re gonna regret trying to fry me like a chicken!”

Caleb shoots a group of Vikings rushing toward him and they immediately stop. “Don’t get any closer or you’re going to regret it.”

The three warriors look at each other hesitantly before Freydis shouts out for them to fight, and they raise their swords and charge Caleb with feral screams.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

With that, he pulls the trigger of his flamethrower and the Vikings have only their shields to protect themselves. They quickly realize they’re overpowered and try to retreat, but as soon as they do, a ray of freezing cold hits them on their other side.

“What do you think of that, motherfuckers?” Veth shouts with a loud cackle.

The fight goes on and the Vikings quickly realize that they’re largely outperformed by these strange people who clearly have divine abilities and weapons. Lightning and chaos are upon the battlefield and some warriors prefer to flee for fear of being slain by this clan, although the Legends and Stormgirl are careful not to kill any of them.

Firestorm grins after routing a few more Vikings. They look in Fjord’s direction and spot a man sneaking up on him while he’s facing two warriors. One shot of nuclear energy a few meters away from him is all it takes to discourage him from going any further, and he runs away with a scared yelp. Firestorm chuckles, but they get startled by a sudden cry of anger.

“What did you do?!”

They turn around and see Freydis as well as all the nearby Vikings looking right at them. Or rather at the toy they’ve been holding in one arm. When they look down, their white eyes widen. “Oops.”

They didn’t realize the stuffed toy would catch fire in their grasp and now half of Beebo’s fur is gone.

“I guess Stormgirl won’t get the fancy collar I promised her,” Beau mutters with a wince.

“You’re going to pay for this!” Freydis roars.

She grasps her sword with two hands and lifts it above her head in an impressive display of strength. Firestorm is taken by surprise when she throws it with deadly accuracy and they barely get out of the way before getting hit. As they do, Beebo slips out of their grip and falls to the ground.

The toy waves its arms helplessly while the flames burn its wires, now that most of its fur is gone. “Beebo want cuddle.” A creepy, distorted laughter echoes through the night before it dies down.

A deafening silence settles down as everybody watches the remains of Beebo go up in smoke.

Stormgirl and Firestorm float down and gently land on the ground. In the meantime, Leif walks up to Freydis while she stares at the smoking corpse of her beloved god. He puts a comforting hand on her shoulder, but she doesn’t look away and remains perfectly still, clearly in shock after what just happened.

Leif looks at each one of the Legends and then at Stormgirl, and his eyes remain on her specifically. He’s in awe, but he also looks scared. “By Odin, who are you?”

“Uhhh,” is all Yasha manages.

Fjord steps forward with confidence. “She’s Odin’s champion.”

All the Legends glance at him with uncertain looks, but they don’t say anything and go with it.

Leif stares at Fjord with a disbelieving look.

Fjord seems to realize he should have thought it through. “And we are her, um… Acolytes.”

Beau gives Yasha an insistent look, hoping she will do or say something to back up Fjord.

Stormgirl stands up right and pulls her shoulders back. “It’s true. We come with a message from Odin himself. He wants you to return home to Greenland. That’s where your destiny is, Leif Erikson.”

Leif hesitates for a moment and then glances at Freydis. “I know how much you wanted to believe, sister.” He turns to all the Vikings and speaks louder as he points at Stormgirl. “But Odin has spoken through his champion. Beebo is a false god, full of false promises.”

Freydis angrily interferes. “We are Vikings! This is our land to conquer.”

“It’s time to go home and abandon this colony.”

Leif gives a tap on his sister’s shoulder before he turns around and walks away. There’s a short hesitation among the Vikings before they decide to leave the battlefield and follow him.

Freydis grits her teeth and glances at Beebo. “It seems the old gods have abandoned us.” Seemingly resigned, she follows the rest of her clan.

The Legends watch them all walk away and then glance at each other.

As soon as they’re all gone, Stormgirl’s shoulders cave in and she shrinks on herself like she’s trying to be small enough that no one will notice her. “Well,” she turns to look at the others with a shy smile, “looks like the Legends have saved the day.”

Firestorm smiles and bounces, Jester’s mannerism remaining even in their merged form. “Thanks to you! You were amazing.”

“Me?” Yasha chuckles awkwardly. “I hardly did anything. You guys did all the hard work, and Veth was the one who found out what the anachronism was in the first place.”

Firestorm splits and Jester and Caduceus reappear as two separated entities.

Caduceus stretches like he’s been forced into a shell too small for his lengthy body.  “Jester is right. You did great.”

“No, I-”

“You really helped us.” Beau says before glancing at Fjord. “I mean, Fjord, saying Stormgirl was Odin’s champion was brilliant, and it’s kinda true actually.” She looks back at Yasha. “But yeah, you saved Veth and helped us take care of the anachronism. I’m not sure we could have made it without you.”

Yasha smiles awkwardly. “It was great working with you.”

Beau smiles back at her and then turns to the Legends. “All right, mission accomplished! Now, back to the ship.”

The Legends are all lively when they get back onboard of the Waverider - even Caleb in his own personal way - and excitement is bouncing around. Stormgirl smiles at this sight and follows them as they go to the main deck.

They all gather in the small elevated lounge and while some sit down on the armchairs, Beau stands in front of the single screen of this part of the deck. “Gideon, call Essek. He made fun of us saying we couldn’t take care of this, now I’m going to brag about our latest success.”

“Right away, Captain.”

Beau gives Caleb a mischievous look. “He’s gonna be so pissed that we did it.”

“He’s not that petty, you know.”

Beau shrugs, not entirely convinced that this is true, and leans on the table facing the screen.

Essek appears after a few seconds. “Captain Lionett. To what do I owe the pleasure of your call?”

“Guess who just fixed a level 12 anachronism.”

“Ah! That’s great news. I am glad that you were able to save Odin Day.”

“Odin Day?” Beau briskly stands straight. “You mean Christmas, right?”

Essek frowns with an intrigued look. “Doesn’t ring a bell.”

“Dammit! I thought we fixed the anachronism.”

“Captain?” Gideon calls out.

“What now?”

“My sensors just detected a disturbance in the fabric of time. It appears that someone time-jumped to 1000 AD shortly after you left Erikson’s camp.”

Beau opens her mouth, but Fjord interjects before she can speak. “Hey, has anyone seen Jester and Veth?”

The Captain looks around and grumbles, “I swear, if they did anything that fucked up the timeline I will-”

Jester’s voice suddenly echoes through the hallway, “Guys, guys!”

She and Veth come running onto the main deck. They’re in such a hurry that they almost jump up the stairs instead of climbing them.

“Where were you?” Fjord asks.

“This is bad!” Veth shouts.

“Very bad!” Jester confirms.

Beau crosses her arms on her chest and raises one eyebrow. “You might wanna be a bit more specific, because currently the anachronism is not fixed despite all our efforts.”

“We stayed behind to take a pee when you guys returned to the ship,” Veth explains.

“And we saw Damien Darhk!”

“And his daughter Nora!”

“Darhk said he was Odin, and that Leif and his warriors had to conquer all of New Valhalla.”

“Shit,” Beau swears under her breath. “That must be why the anachronism isn’t fixed.” She turns around. “Stormgirl, do you think you can- Where’s Stormgirl?”

Caduceus points down the hallway. “She just left. While you were talking Gideon said there was a second call for her, from the DEO. She went to another room to take it.”

Just as he finishes talking, Stormgirl trots back to the main deck. “Sorry, I'm here now. Um, I’m sorry but I have to go back.”

Beau’s arms instinctively flex in irritation and tighten around her in their current crossed position. “What do you mean, you have to go back?”

“Something just came up, I’m needed at the DEO.”

“You can’t leave us, the anachronism isn’t fixed. Darhk just showed up with his daughter and they apparently convinced the Vikings to stay and conquer the whole continent.”

“I’m sorry, Beau. I want to help, I really do, but I can’t stay. Earth-38 needs me. Now.”

“Yasha, please.”

“I’ve got to go.” Stormgirl looks at the rest of the Legends. “I believe you have a jump ship. I don’t want to keep all of you from your duties, but can at least one of you take me back to my time and universe, please?”

An awkward tension forms as they all look at each other and most of all at Beau, who is staring right at Yasha.

After a short silence, Fjord clears his throat. “Yeah, sure. I’ll take you. Let me just change to something more modern and I’ll be right here.”

“Thanks. I’ll wait for you at the jump ship.”

Fjord leaves the main deck and walks down the hallway to his quarters.

Stormgirl looks at the Legends with an apologetic expression. “I’m truly sorry. They’re counting on me.”

Jester smiles, but it’s easy to see it’s fake and she’s only pretending not to be sad. “It’s okay, Yasha. Thanks for helping us for as long as you could. Maybe we can meet some other time, outside of a mission?”

Yasha smiles, “I’d love that.” She glances at the rest of the Legends and tries to hide her embarrassment, but she can’t when her eyes watch into Beau’s. “Bye, guys.”

Stormgirl turns around and hastily leaves the deck.

As soon as she is away, Veth speaks very stoically, “We’re fucked.”

“Hush, you!” Jester protests.

Beau deeply inhales and sighs. “Essek, can you hold on, please?”

“That is what I’ve been doing for the past minute and I have work to-”

“Thanks.”

Essek looks very upset, but he doesn’t say anything and obliges.

Beau rushes out of the lounge and goes after Stormgirl, while Caleb turns to the screen and gives Essek an awkward look. “Sorry about that. You know how she is.”

Beau jogs down the hallway and quickly catches up with Yasha. Her voice sounds a bit more worried and panicked than she intended to when she calls out, “Stormgirl, wait!”

Even before she calls her name, Yasha hears her footsteps and spins around.

“Yasha, please. We need you.”

“I told you, I’d like to stay and help you, but I can’t.”

“I’m sorry if I hurt you earlier. I was an asshole. I shouldn’t have said what I said, I trust you, I do.”

“This is not about it, Beau. I took an oath to protect Earth and to not let anyone else die because I’m standing by and watching instead of acting.”

“What does that mean? What are you talking about?”

Yasha deeply sighs and looks away. “Nothing. Forget I said that. I have to go back because I’m needed there, that’s all.”

“Well, I need you here.”

Yasha opens her mouth to reply with an apologetic look, but she’s interrupted.

“Ah, Yasha! I’m ready, we can-” Fjord pauses when he realizes they’re in the middle of a conversation. “Oh, sorry.”

“It’s all right.” Yasha glances at Beau, whose arms are crossed on her chest. “I’m truly sorry, Beau.”

The Captain clenches her jaw and remains silent.

Stormgirl sighs with a genuinely sorry look on her face before she turns to Fjord, “Let’s go.”

They walk down the hallway where the jumpship is and Beau’s hands tighten around her crossed arms.

The waves are gently hitting the shore as Beau and Essek are marching on the Vikings’ camp. No costumes this time; Beau has her Blue Canary suit on and Essek is wearing his usual navy blue suit as well as an overcoat that falls all the way to his feet, partially obscuring them.

Beau tightens her grip on her staff as they approach the camp. “Thanks for coming.”

“Of course. A level 12 anachronism is not to be taken lightly, and the Darhks must be stopped before they mess up the timeline even further.”

Leif glares at them from a distance and draws his sword, but he doesn’t stop them. Whether or not he still believes that Stormgirl is Odin’s champion after Damien Darhk showed up masquerading as the king of Norse gods, he was apparently scared enough by his last encounter with the Legends to keep his distance.

Freydis, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to be afraid. She comes to meet them at a brisk pace with other warriors accompanying her, and stops in front of them, her sword pointed at them. “How dare you come here after pretending to be sent by Odin?”

Yeah, apparently they no longer believe that Stormgirl is his champion. Too bad.

Beau keeps her composure and doesn’t make any hostile move. “We’re here to talk to him, actually.”

“You’re not worthy of talking to the great Odin. I should slay you where you stand.”

“Do not.”

They all turn in the direction of the new voice. Beau immediately recognizes Nora and squints at her.

Nora is wearing a headband adorned with two wings. “Let her pass.”

Freydis looks surprised by this order. “Valkyrie, are you-”

“I said, let her pass.”

Freydis bows her head obediently. “What about the other one?

Nora walks up to Essek and stops a few meters away from him. She glances at the pin on the lapel of his coat and grins, “A Time Bureau lackey. What are you doing here?”

“The Time Bureau has an offer for your father.”

Nora shortly hesitates before she turns to the Vikings. “Escort them both to Odin. He will deal with them.”

A few Vikings surround them and take Beau’s staff. They don’t resist when they’re grabbed and roughly pushed forward.

As Beau walks by her, Nora smirks viciously and mutters, “My father will enjoy killing you.”

Beau ignores her comment and keeps walking.

Freydis stays by Nora’s side while Beau and Essek are escorted by warriors to the huge hut where the feast happened the day before. They find Damien sitting on a throne covered in furs. He’s wearing a leather garb with buckles and straps and has a smug expression on his face.

“Ha! What a pleasant surprise! And you’ve brought company,” he says joyfully with a glance toward Essek.

“I was sent by the Time Bureau to make you an offer,” the agent responds.

Damien scoffs with contempt. “What could this pathetic bureau of yours possibly offer me?”

Beau tilts her chin up and looks him in the eyes. “I think you’ll be interested when you hear what we have to propose.” She takes a deep breath and focuses on her inner energy.

“I don’t think you have anyth-”

Before he can finish speaking, Beau suddenly kicks the Viking closer to her in the knee. The man cries out and immediately falls to the ground - his joint is most likely ruined if the loud crack that echoed on impact is any indication.

As soon as Beau takes action, Essek moves his hands in precise patterns and mutters a few words under his breath, and a shadowy clone of himself appears next to him. All of the Vikings jump back with frightened faces.

Damien’s eyes immediately fall on Essek and he tilts his head with a curious look. “A magician.”

“I guess I can go by that title.”

Without further ado, Essek dives into combat and his echo moves along with him, spooking the Vikings and making it harder for anyone to hit him.

Damien raises his hand to try and cast a spell, but his attention is caught by a sudden ruckus and he turns just in time to see two Vikings take their helmets off, revealing Jester and Caduceus. They clasp their hands, turn into Firestorm, and immediately knock two Vikings out.

Beau takes another warrior down before she spots one with a crossbow. She lunges forward and clocks him across the face with all of her ki focused in her fist. He’s knocked out on the spot and she grabs his weapon and swiftly spins around to point it at Damien, who’s still sitting on his throne. “Here’s our offer: leave now and we’ll let you live.”

Damien looks highly unimpressed and replies stoically, “No.” He lifts his hand and sends a blast of magic in her direction.

Beau is brutally blown back and hits a wall before she falls on the ground, the crossbow slipping out of her hands.

Outside, the Vikings are anxiously waiting, all looking in the direction of the hut to see what punishment Odin will unleash on these reckless visitors. But while they’re expecting lightning to hit or at least thunder to roll and send these fools back where they’ve come from, the roof of the hut explodes from the inside out. The Vikings all gasp and step back as a blue-ish silhouette emerges at high speed and stops a few meters above the building. The energy around their hands pulses and they shoot a blast down, inside the hut.

Nora immediately draws her sword and lifts it in front of her. “Odin is under attack! Defend him if you want to see Valhalla!”

She stays put, but all the Vikings follow her order and rush forward with Leif and Freydis leading the charge. But they can only run a few meters before Beebo suddenly flies in front of them, forcing them to stop. “Halt! It is I, Beebo, who has risen from the grave.”

Leif opens wide eyes, “Like Christ himself.”

Fjord, hidden in the forest nearby, hears loud gasps through his earbud. He adjusts his grip on the remote control in his hands and tries to mimic Beebo’s tone as best as he can. “Yes! Jesus is the one true god!”

Caleb is standing next to him and nudges him. “Science and evolution. Tell them about science and evolution.”

“Really?”

“Do it,” Caleb says authoritatively before he gets out of cover and stealthily walks out of the forest.

Fjord sighs and rolls his eyes, but he complies. “But it doesn’t mean science or evolution isn’t real.”

On the beach, Vikings stare at Beebo in confusion.

Still floating in the air, the toy sways and waves its arms. “Anyway, you need to return to Greenland. Which will soon be melting, thanks to global warming, which is also real.”

Nora groans angrily and sheaths her sword. She raises her two hands to strike Beebo with a spell, but before she can release it, she hears movement behind her. She turns just in time to stop the flames coming straight at her. One hand in front of her, she keeps the fire at bay and throws a furious look at Caleb.

“Like a little fire?”

Caleb is joined by his longtime partner as Veth suddenly emerges from hiding and shoots in turn. “How about a little ice?”

Nora raises her other hand to stop the cold ray before it hits her. She contains both assaults pretty easily, but she can’t retaliate. Caleb and Veth start slowly walking toward each other and as they approach, Nora grits her teeth and winces like it’s getting harder to resist. The flames and the frost shouldn’t work well together, but somehow they do, and when they meet they morph into something… explosive.

As unexpected as it is, the combination of Caleb’s and Veth’s weapons causes a blast. Nora gets blown away and falls unconscious as she roughly hits the ground.

Chaos has been spreading on the inside of the hut and the Legends are still fighting the Vikings, although they’re once again overpowering them.

Damien has been trying to get rid of them, but Essek and Firestorm are doing a fantastic job at containing him and protecting Beau while she takes the Vikings down one by one. But all of a sudden, he stops fighting when an explosion resonates. Although no one has hit him, he gasps like he’s just been punched in the chest.

He looks toward the entrance of the hut and suddenly seems worried. “Nora.”

On the beach, Freydis looks at the unmoving form of Nora on the ground and screams fiercely. “They killed the Valkyrie!”

The other Vikings seem to take this very seriously and they all charge toward the Legends with renewed vigor. Caleb and Veth stand their ground and are soon joined by Fjord, who rushes out of the forest and turns into Steel, ready for battle.

Damien grabs an imposing spear resting next to his throne and makes his way out of the hut, completely ignoring the Legends. Beau tries to intervene, but he joins his hands and a burst of magic expands from him and blows her and Essek away. Firestorm dives to try and stop him, but a wave of his hand is all it takes to send them against a wall.

The fight is still going on at the beach when Damien arrives. He sees his daughter on the ground and instantly loses his temper. “Noraaa!”

He hits the ground with the end of his spear and electricity bursts out of the weapon and hits everybody, including the Vikings. They all fall, partially knocked out by the shock. Damien drops his spear and runs to Nora. He looks genuinely concerned as he grabs her and cradles her on his lap. He strokes her cheek and then pulls out his time stone.

He is about to use it to escape with Nora when Beau catches up with him. “Not this time.”

She’s been running and uses her momentum to jump over Damien in a front flip, and while she’s mid-air she hits his hand as hard as she can, using her retrieved staff like a golf club. Damien groans and the stone slips out of his hand, and Beau catches it and executes a perfect three-point landing. She quickly stands up and turns to face her archenemy. Just to add a bit more flair, she swirls her staff before it comes to rest at her side.

Damien lays Nora down and then slowly stands up. “Give it back to me.”

Beau looks him in the eyes and tilts her chin up in provocation. “Come and get it.”

Damien clenches his jaw. A groan slips between his gritted teeth and quickly turns into a roar as he shoots two fireballs at Beau through his hands. She dodges out of the way and easily regains her balance. From there, Damien goes into a series of attacks that Beau manages to avoid or counter while keeping the stone in her hand.

The Legends and the Vikings are now back on their feet, and Essek and Firestorm have joined them, but it seems that they’re all hypnotized by the impressive fight that’s happening right in front of them. They’re frozen in place and watching as the two enemies are exchanging blows.

Beau slowly but surely makes her way toward Damien while dodging his attacks, and once she’s close enough, she’s able to hit him. He was trained by the League of Assassins just like her and so he can easily resist her, but at least he can’t use his magic as she keeps his hands occupied to defend himself. But after a moment, he manages to get through her guard.

He lands a blow in her chest with his palm open, and she suspects that he’s managed to infuse a bit of magic in his hand or he’s learned to use his ki just like her as she is pushed back several meters away from him. Luckily, she manages to remain on her feet and the time stone is still in her hand as well as her staff, but her breathing is cut short by the strength of the hit. She looks up just in time to see Damien lift his hand and by the time she realizes what he’s about to do, it’s too late.

A sudden pressure squeezes around her neck and she instinctively reaches for her throat. She holds onto the stone tightly, but she feels the invisible grip tighten as well and she winces.

“Here’s my offer,” Damien grunts. “Give me back what’s mine and I’ll make it quick.”

“Fu-” Beau chokes on the word and tries to take a breath, but the air can hardly pass. “-ck off.”

The grip around her throat tightens even more and she feels her windpipe get crushed.

This sudden swing in the fight acts as an electroshock and the Legends suddenly snap out of their awe. They rush forward, but the Vikings, trying to protect the one they believe to be Odin, immediately interfere and prevent them from helping their Captain.

Beau is choking and her strength is failing her. Her staff slips out of her hand and she fights and resists as long as she can, but she eventually drops the stone too. Her vision is getting dimmer and she knows she will pass out soon, when she suddenly hears the familiar sound of a portal opened by a time courier.

Beau is not sure if this is actually happening or if her blood is pulsing into her ears, but she hears the low rumble of thunder in the distance. The next instant, lightning strikes the beach.

Damien gets startled and drops his concentration, releasing Beau from the spell, but she is about to faint and so she collapses on the ground. She coughs and takes big gulps of air, a bit of sand getting into her mouth as she’s desperately trying to breathe again.

She hardly manages to look up, and as she does, she sees Damien get clocked right across the face. He falls on the ground with a weak whimper and looks up with a terror Beau has never seen in his eyes before.

A massive silhouette stands over him, fists clenched tightly, cape and hair floating in the wind, eyes sparkling with electricity and glaring at him, the face a mask of pure fury. Clouds are rapidly gathering in the sky and flashes of light are illuminating them.

Stormgirl opens her mouth and when she speaks, it’s like thunder is echoing through her voice. “You masquerade as Odin, but you can’t even stand lightning without jumping.”

Damien stumbles onto his feet and faces her with a terrified expression. His voice is barely a trembling murmur as he asks, “Who the hell are you?”

Stormgirl slowly walks toward him and he steps back as she speaks in a booming voice, "I am the child of lightning.”

Lightning strikes the hut where Damien was previously staying and sets it on fires while she keeps walking.

“The daughter of thunder.”

She briskly rushes forward and she covers the few meters between them in a flash. She punches him in the chest hard enough to force the air out of his lungs.

He stumbles backward and tries to breathe, but she grabs his collar and pulls him close to her face as she snarls, “I am the Stormlord’s champion.”

She tightens her grip and lifts him up from the ground before tossing him. Damien is catapulted high into the air with a helpless cry, and Stormgirl flies so fast that it looks like she’s teleported when she meets him high above the ground just as he reaches the zenith of his flight. “I am…”

She puts her two palms flat on his chest and she sees him move his hands hastily in specific patterns. She barely registers the words he speaks and the faint red aura that appears around his body while she looks him in the eyes with a fierce expression and roars.

“STORMGIRL!”

Her eyes illuminate and she sends a surge of electricity through her hands directly into his chest.

The sheer power of the shock wave throws him back to the ground and he hits the beach so roughly that sand gets blown up into the air. When it falls back down, a small crater has formed around him and he’s laying on his back and whimpering weakly. The red aura that probably saved Damien’s life fades away and he’s barely able to roll on his side and rest on his elbows.

Stormgirl slowly floats down to the ground and delicately lands, a sharp contrast in comparison to the raw power she just displayed. She takes a step forward, intent on finishing what she started and getting rid of this monster once and for all, but she’s suddenly tackled by two strong arms that wrap around her waist.

“Yasha! You came back!”

Stormgirl recognizes the voice of Jester and when she turns her head to look over her shoulder she sees Firestorm hugging her from behind. Her anger is still very much present, but with them holding her tight, she can’t help smiling a bit.

She quickly realizes the Vikings are all staring at her with a mixture of shock and terror in their eyes - just like the first time she used her powers in front of them, but even more intense. Firestorm seems to notice too and they let go of her.

Stormgirl faces the Vikings and looks at Leif and Freydis specifically. She’s about to speak but she can’t even get a single word out before she’s interrupted.

“No!”

Everybody turns in Beau’s direction as she tries to grab the time stone she dropped earlier, but Damien is faster. He picks it from the ground, rushes to his still unconscious daughter, and as soon he has his hand on her shoulder they both disappear.

Beau furiously punches the sand. “Fuuuck!”

Fjord walks up to her at this moment and tries to calm her down.

Stormgirl focuses back on the Vikings. She takes off and hovers just a few centimeters above the ground, eyes glowing and hair floating, just to make a strong impression on her audience. “It’s time for you to go back to Greenland.” Her voice is full of confidence, which is very unusual for her. “I warned you once and you didn’t listen. If you don’t leave now, you will face the consequences of your disobedience.”

Leif and Freydis look at each other, and for the first time the latter looks truly scared. A short moment passes and a silent exchange seems to occur between them before they nod in unison.

Leif looks at the rest of his clan and speaks with a very solemn voice. “Let’s go home.”

With that, all the Vikings leave the beach and walk toward their camp to pack and prepare to sail back to Greenland.

Stormgirl lowers herself until her feet are on the ground again and the glow of her eyes fade. The thunder rolls one last time before the wind chases the clouds away and the sky starts to clear out. Her mind is clouded too, but she breathes slowly to try and tame her anger. She always tries to not let her emotions take control, but sometimes they get the best of her.

After a moment she feels quieter and more in control. She looks where Beau was laying on the ground and sees she’s now on her feet. Fjord is supporting her, but she seems to be okay and she even manages to stand on her own.

Beau brushes sand off her suit and then looks up, and her gaze meets Stormgirl’s. “You- You came back,” she stutters with an unbelieving expression. Her voice is very husky and it hurts when she speaks, but she holds back a grimace.

Stormgirl takes a few steps toward her. “Well, that’s one of the perks of being super fast, you can handle business pretty quickly. I came as soon as the aliens were taken care of.”

“Wait. How did you get here?”

“I dropped her off.”

The familiar voice makes Beau’s head turn and she immediately smiles when she sees her former mentor walking in her direction.

“Dairon!” Beau looks at Yasha with a genuinely impressed face. “You convinced them, well done.”

Stormgirl winces and her shoulders tense. “It wasn’t easy to be honest. I had to call Barry and ask him to bring me to Earth-1, then I went to the Time Bureau and had to convince Dairon to take me here.”

Dairon joins them and stands next to Stormgirl. “She convinced me when she said she performed as Odin’s champion and then left you alone without anyone else to play the role. Besides, I wouldn’t let my former team down, would I?”

Beau smiles widely and gives Dairon a big hug that takes them by surprise. They remain still at first, but after a short moment Beau feels one arm wrap around her waist and bring her closer.

She parts from Dairon and instinctively goes to hug Yasha too, but she refrains and awkwardly smiles instead. “Thank you. We would have been screwed without you.”

“I’m sorry for leaving.”

“That’s okay. You had to go. And you came back, didn’t you?”

Stormgirl slightly nods and gives her a shy smile. Dairon takes a look at both of them with raised eyebrows before they silently walk away to go greet the rest of the Legends.

“Are you okay?” Yasha asks.

“I’m fine.”

She looks at Beau’s neck and sees faint marks slowly forming. She steps further and touches her throat with very gentle gestures.

Beau suddenly panics. “What are you-”

She instinctively wants to recoil, but she refrains herself as a gentle light glows around Yasha’s hand and she feels a nice warmth radiate in her neck. She sighs and relaxes, and the pain in her throat fades until it almost doesn’t hurt at all. “Oh.”

She’s surprised when she hears her voice is still a bit raucous, but not as much as before, and is now back to its natural tone. “Oh! Thanks.”

The light is gone and Beau doesn’t feel any warmth anymore, but Yasha keeps her hand on her neck a little longer, like she doesn’t realize the injury is healed. Her mismatched eyes are fixed on Beau’s and Beau can’t look away. She feels her cheeks warm up and she hopes her dark skin will be enough to hide her reaction.

She’s definitely flustered, even though she wouldn’t admit it if she were asked, but she’s also genuinely grateful. “You didn’t have to, Gideon could have taken care of it. But thanks.”

Stormgirl snaps out of her bliss and briskly retrieves her hand. “Of course.”

Beau still feels a bit awkward, but she gives Yasha a teasing smirk. “Is there anything you can’t do?”

“Another gift of the Stormlord.”

Jester suddenly interferes in their conversation, “Man, he’s pretty cool, huh?”

Beau and Yasha both look at her with bewildered expressions. They have no idea how long she’s been here and if she’s been listening to them, and they feel a bit ill-at-ease, but they chuckle.

Essek is the last one Dairon greets. He bows his head respectfully, “Director Dairon. Your timing is impeccable, as always.”

Dairon nods in response.

Fjord takes a look around like he’s worried the Vikings might come back or something else might happen. “Is that it? We fixed the anachronism?”

“It would appear that you did,” Essek says in a very solemn tone.

Caleb stands next to him and puts a hand on his shoulder, “ We did.”

Essek nods and gives Caleb a small smile that he returns, then he looks at the others. “The Legends fixing a level 12 anachronism, this is certainly a Christmas miracle.”

Beau raises her fists above her head in relief and celebration, “Yes!”

All the Legends cheer in unison and while they’re busy congratulating each other and themselves, Beau and Yasha exchange a smile and a satisfied nod.

Once the general excitement has settled down, Essek and Dairon go back to the Time Bureau and the Legends plus Stormgirl return to the Waverider.

As soon as they step on the main deck, Gideon’s face appears above the central block. “Welcome back, Legends, and congratulations!”

Fjord grins widely, his tusks pointing out of his mouth. “Thanks, Gideon.”

Caduceus looks at Gideon and like the AI can sense his gaze, she turns to face him. “Congratulations to you too. I mean, you-you’re part of the team.”

“Thank you, Mr. Clay. It means a lot.”

Jester clasps her hands together and stamps like she always does when she’s excited. “We should celebrate! That was the biggest anachronism we’ve ever fixed, and also Yasha’s first mission as a Legend!”

Stormgirl gives her an uncertain look. “Um. As a Legend?”

“Of course,” Caleb agrees. “You’re one of us now.”

Stormgirl glances at Beau like she’s expecting approval or validation from her.

“That’s fair,” Beau says with a nod. “You helped us fix the anachronism, didn’t you?”

“Welcome to the Legends!” Jester immediately shouts.

“Er, thanks, guys,” Yasha says awkwardly. “Sorry for leaving though, I-”

“No more of that!” Veth interjects. “You were here when we needed you, that’s what matters. And you did save our Captain.” She looks at Beau and grins mischievously.

Beau smiles and nods, “Thanks again, by the way.”

“Yeah, of course.” Yasha chuckles nervously and looks away.

Jester wiggles excitedly. “All right, come on guys! Let’s party! Woohoo!” She runs down the hallway in the direction of the room they use as a kitchen, a dining room when they sit down to eat all together, and a common area.

The rest of the Legends follow her and start to plan the evening as they walk.

It’s getting late and the Legends are all drunk or at least tipsy, with the exception of Jester and Caduceus who very rarely drink, if ever.

They’re all excessively laughing at stupid jokes that wouldn’t seem funny to them in other circumstances, and they’re having a good time. Yasha, however, is just as quiet as usual. She looks happy to be here but she’s not letting go like the others are.

Veth takes a sip of her drink and glances at her. “Hey, Yasha. You can really hold your liquor!”

“Er. Yeah, I guess.”

“How many drinks did you have?”

“Um, I’m not sure. Eleven? Maybe twelve?”

“Excuse me?!”

Fjord looks at her with a face that’s half-impressed and half-concerned. “Wow! That’s impressive.”

“Well.” Yasha awkwardly scratches the back of her head. “The thing is I can’t get drunk on regular alcohol.”

“What do you mean?” Jester asks.

“Ever since the Stormlord granted me my powers, I haven’t been able to get drunk. I think I probably need something very, very strong. Or maybe something divine. I don’t really know to be honest, but that’s what my best friend thinks.”

Beau bangs her fist on the table, her gaze not as sharp as it usually is, and Jester sniggers. “Why didn’t you say something?”

“Well. Do you have any kind of divine or celestial alcohol?”

“I don’t think we do. Gideon, can you-”

The AI answers before she even finishes asking her question, “If you want me to create that kind of alcohol, I’m sorry, but I can’t. Even I have my limits.”

Beau grunts and grumbles something unintelligible. It’s pretty clear that she’s drunk at this point and Yasha can’t help smiling. “It’s okay, Beau. I don’t need alcohol to have a good time, and being with you guys is great as it is.”

“You don’t need alcohol, but do you want alcohol?” Veth asks.

“I’m not sure this-” Caduceus attempts, but he’s cut short.

“Do you?” Veth insists.

“Er. I guess it’d be fun to be drunk again. I mean, not totally wasted, of course. But yeah, feeling that again would be nice.”

Veth suddenly jumps from her sitting position and stands up on her chair, “GIDEON!”

They all get startled by her shout.

“Yes, Mrs. Brenatto?”

“Plot a course to Themyscira.”

“Which date shall I pick?”

“Whatever date after we dropped Helen of Troy.”

“Right away.”

Fjord tries to speak but stutters, and he has to try a few times before he succeeds, “Veth, no.”

The halfling looks at him with a wide smirk, “Veth, yes.”

Caduceus does his own version of a frown, which is a very subtle wrinkle on his forehand and a quiver of his ears. “I don’t think it’s wise to abuse the Waverider for that kind of thing, Mr. Thelyss will probably be very-”

Before he can finish, the ship briefly shakes and then Gideon’s voice resonates through the room. “We’ve arrived in Themyscira, 1254 BC.”

“Come on, guys!” Veth jumps off her chair and rushes outside of the common area. “It’s time to go booze-picking!”

Beau stands up, apparently very upset all of a sudden. “Hey! Send-offs are my thing!”

She follows after Veth and all of the Legends do the same.

It’s getting very late - or early, depending on how you see things - and the Legends are all wasted, with the exception of Jester and Caduceus who very rarely drink, if ever.

Instead of just grabbing alcohol for Yasha and going back to the temporal zone, they decided to stay on Themyscira for the evening and celebrate with the Amazons. The celebration has been going on for several hours now, and the sky is getting lighter on the horizon. The mighty warriors of the island are retiring to get a bit of sleep before starting the day, and the visitors are asked to leave.

The walk back to the Waverider is long and difficult as they keep tumbling, especially once they’ve reached the beach and have to deal with sand on wobbly legs. Luckily, Jester and Caduceus are here to help them when they actually fall and can’t stand up because they’re laughing too hard. At least this trip gives them the opportunity to sober up.

Jester enters the cargo bay first, just as excited as she was when the night started. “You guys! That was amazing!”

Fjord is right behind her and smiles. “It was!”

Veth rushes inside and passes Fjord to stand next to Jester. “I liked Helen before, but now I like her even more!”

Stormgirl changed into something less formal before leaving the ship and is wearing dark casual clothes that Gideon crafted for her. She is staggering and if she wasn’t drunk before, now she clearly is. “I can’t believe I got to meet Helen of Troy! And the Amazons!”

Beau is walking side by side with her and grins. “It’s dope being a Legend, isn’t it?”

“Sure is,” she says before a hiccup shakes her.

They all giggle, but for once Yasha doesn’t feel self conscious because of people laughing at something she’s done. She knows they are not mocking her, and although she doesn’t join them, she does smile as she feels a rush of affection in her chest.

Caleb is the only one who keeps a very stern face. “I just hope we didn’t ruin the timeline by partying with the Amazons.”

Beau puts a hand on his shoulder. “Relax, Caleb. They’re not really part of the timeline.”

“They are. And Wonder Woman is an Amazon, so if we-”

“It’s gonna be okay, don’t worry. We just had a good time and everything will be fine. They will probably have forgotten most of the night anyway, they were just as drunk as us.”

“Speaking of which,” Fjord says as they’ve just arrived at the intersection of the hallway where they go their separate ways, “I'm exhausted. I’m gonna go to bed now.”

Jester nods, “Yeah, me too. Good night!”

Fjord barely wishes them good night before he and Jester turn the corner and go in the direction of his quarters. All the Legends grin and exchange knowing looks among themselves.

Caleb puts his hand on Beau’s and squeezes it. “I’m gonna do a bit of reading before I go to bed.”

“How can you do that after so many drinks?”

He shrugs unaffectedly and she snorts with an amused grin, and then he goes to his quarters.

Veth fidgets with her flask like she’s thinking about taking a swig even after all the alcohol they’ve drunk, but she decides against it and leaves it hanging at her hip. “Well, I’m gonna call Yeza. Wait. What time is it on Earth-1? Gideon?”

“I suppose you want to know Central City time?”

“Please.”

“It’s 5:37.”

“Then I can probably talk to Luc too, he should be back from school. I will-”

“5:37 in the morning. Or rather the night.”

There is a short silence during which Caduceus looks at Veth with an amused smile before she huffs, “I guess I’ll just go to bed then.”

She is about to leave, but she pauses when Caduceus speaks up, “I was going to prepare tea before going to sleep. Would you like some?”

“Oh. Actually yes.”

Caduceus’ smile remains as he glances at Beau and Yasha. “What about you? Would you like to join us?”

Beau looks at Yasha expectantly and she stutters, “Oh. Um. That’s very sweet, Caduceus, but I think I’ll go home.”

She hears a soft cough and looks at Beau. “Uhhh. I don’t know about that. I mean, unless Caduceus feels fresh enough to fly the jumpship, but Jester is probably busy right now and the rest of us are drunk. Plus, we have enough room for you, you can totally sleep here and go back tomorrow.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, of course. With people going in and out of the team all the time, we have several spare rooms that are never used.”

“That’s very nice, Beau. Thank you.” Beau gives her a small bow of the head in response and Yasha looks at Caduceus. “Um, so yeah, no tea for me. I’m exhausted, so I'll go to bed. I haven’t been drunk in a few years and I may have overestimated my endurance a little bit.”

Veth sniggers and Caduceus turns to Beau with a silent interrogation on his face.

“Thanks, Caduceus, but I’ll show Yasha the guest room and then head to bed.”

“We’ll see you in the morning then. You two have a good night.”

Beau gives Veth a falsely severe look. “No booze in your tea, Veth. You’ve had enough for tonight.”

Veth grins, “No promises.”

Beau shakes her head and smiles, “Good night.”

Yasha smiles shyly at Veth and Caduceus, “Good night.”

The impromptu duo waves at the two women and makes its way to the kitchen, while Beau leads Yasha to the part of the ship where the unoccupied quarters are. The walk is short and soon they get to a door that opens on its own when they approach. This is a simple room with a double bed and a bit of furniture - nothing fancy, but it’s functional.

Beau motions her hand, “Here’s your room.”

“Thank you very much.”

“You’re very welcome. That’s the least we can do after you’ve helped us.”

“I was the one who offered in the first place, so, you know.”

“Yeah.”

They both smile awkwardly and none of them says anything for a moment, until Beau speaks, “Well. If you need anything, my quarters are just down the hall.” She points in the direction and then pushes a strand of hair out of her face for lack of a better thing to do. “Er. Good night then.”

“Um, yeah. Thanks. Will do. Good night.”

They awkwardly nod at each other and Beau walks down the hallway.

She has taken just a few steps when Yasha calls out, “Beau?”

Beau stops and turns around. “Yeah?”

“Thank you. For trusting me, even when I don’t trust myself.”

Beau is surprised at first, but then she smirks with a hint of melancholy on her face. “Self-confidence is a bitch, huh?”

“Yeah, I guess.” Yasha clears her throat. “Going on a mission with all of you was fun. I mean, it was mainly stressful, but also fun.” She pauses and looks hesitant for a bit. “I, er. I never really got a group of friends as big as this one, you know. Not that I consider myself part of the group, but-”

Beau gives her a very genuine smile. “We told you, you’re one of us now. You’re our friend, and we are yours, if you’ll have a bunch of misfits as friends.”

Yasha scratches the back of her head very awkwardly, but she looks happy to hear that. “Yeah, definitely! Thanks! I mean, er. Yeah, we are friends. I’ve only had a few in my life, so I’m very excited and…”

Beau grins widely, visibly amused by Yasha’s stuttering.

“Anyway. It felt good to be with all of you today.”

“Glad you enjoyed it. Maybe we could do that again some other time?”

Yasha smiles and nods, “I would like that. I would like that very much.”

“Great. Good night…” she gives her a teasing grin before she adds, “... Yash.”

Yasha’s ears suddenly feel very warm and she stutters, “Good night, Beau. And, er, you looked nice too. In this Viking costume. Outfit.”

Beau was the one teasing Yasha, but she’s taken by surprise. She opens her mouth to answer, but she can’t find anything to say and she’s left speechless.

“Good night.” Yasha quickly turns around and walks inside of her quarters, the door closing behind her with a soft sliding sound.

Even after the door has closed, Beau remains still for a moment with her mouth slightly ajar, before she finally goes to her own room to try and sleep despite the buzz in her head and the butterflies in her stomach.