Jefferson Jackson

“The box, the auction…it’s a whole lot of show for something no one knows the full details about.” Luke responded, noting the man seemed to feel just as uncomfortable as he did. “For example, what brings you here tonight?”

The young mechanic listened to the man’s words and tilted his head back and forth as he really thought about what he had said. “Not sure, honestly. Something like that just shouldn’t get in the wrong hands, I guess.” Jefferson got out, struggling to find the words. “You?”

“Naturally.” Ray grinned as he sidled up to Jax, trying not to look too conspicuous, though nodding at a couple of other people who recognized him. It was weird to be there as Ray Palmer; Tech Billionaire, rather than just plain old Ray + supersuit. But while there were Legends about the place -and quite a few other heroes- he was playing the part of socialite tonight. “It’s good to see you again so soon. How’s the family?” Brown eyes tracked a man who looked like private security as he headed through to the behind the scenes area of the museum, wondering if the box would be making it’s appearance soon. “Noticed anyone or anything out of place yet?”

Jax gave Ray a greetingly nod as he sidled up next to him. Ray’s words made a smile creep up on Jefferson’s lips. “Always good to see you, man.” Jefferson replied and turned to look at Ray. “It’s good. Wife wasn’t too thrilled to spend her night off with the kid, though.” Jax admitted with a grimace and a chuckle. He did feel bad, but of course both Jefferson and his wife understood that babysitting was the least of their worries tonight. As a waitress passed by the young man grabbed a glass of champagne and gave a thanking nod to the waitress before taking a big sip. “Honestly, both yes and no. Everything here feels out of place, man.”

whitecanary-lance​:

Steel: Great work, buddy! Knew we could count on that big brain of yours.

Steel: Gideon too.

Steel: You be careful too, okay? No running off out on your own, you hear?

Atom: Roger that, no running off by my tiny self.

White Canary: I’ll kill you both myself if you pull any stunts.

White Canary: Good job, Ray. We’ll be on coms for any and all support. Keep your heads up and if someone gets the jump on you or a fellow legend, take them out.

Dragon Girl: Hey, Z-listers! 

Dragon Girl: Where do you want me? 

Dragon Girl: What’s a com? 

Dragon Girl: Also, thank you for the opportunity to be part of this with you. 

Dragon Girl: xoxo Z

Retired: Great job, Ray! 

Retired: Look, we’re not killin or takin out anyone, aight? 

This type of event was close to as far outside of the young mechanic’s comfort zone as he could get; wearing a slim fit suit Gideon fabricated for him and being in a room full of rich people with bad intentions. However, part of him was excited to in a small way be back in the Legends’ type of action. The thought made a small smile spread across the man’s lips. He would never want to change his life with his beautiful wife and daughter, but he could neither deny that he would sometimes miss his life with the Legends’. Flying through time and space, being Firestorm. No matter, in that moment, he did miss his mechanic’s overalls and wrench. 

Scanning the big crowd the man’s eyes stopped on a familiar face and with a smile playing on his lips approached them. “So, this mess attracted your attention too, huh?” 

"Funny how you can stick a press badge on and suddenly no one wants to talk to you." Lois mused out loud as she was turned down for yet another soundbite on how the event was going.

The auction had drawn quite the crowd and, naturally, the media's attention. It wasn't Lois' usual assignment to write a fluff piece about an auction but it was the one she had been given.

An event like this sure did make Jefferson feel like the small town boy he had always been growing up. Only ever having left Central City with the Legends, the young man was far outside his comfort zone. Moving through the big crowd, towards the bar the man overheard a woman’s voice and stopped to turn and see who it came from. Before him he saw a gorgeous fair-skinned woman with dark flowing hair and a press badge on her chest. Jefferson was not exactly the person to talk to the press. But someone around here needs to be nice to her, the young man thought to himself as he approached the woman. 

“Yeah, people can be jerks.” Jefferson muttered and took a step closer to the woman. “I’m Jefferson Jackson” He introduced himself and extended his hand. 

“This could rival one of Bruce’s affairs..” Luke murmured to himself as he strolled through the gallery, his eyes drifting from exhibit to exhibit without so much as a flicker of interest. His intel was abuzz regarding something important and it wouldn’t be displayed so prominently without security in place - none of these pieces were it. He wasn’t even quite sure what had sparked so much interest but from experience he knew wherever people gathered to admire shiny things, destruction tended to want to follow.

The young mechanic felt quite uncomfortable in his slim fit suit and tie. Shuffling and fiddling with the edges of his jacket in an uncomfortable matter the man made his way through the crowd. Jefferson barely knew what the fuss was all about yet. He wasn’t a Legend anymore, he was a regular mechanic and a dad; this sort of chatter rarely made it to him these days. As his thoughts travelled to the mystery of the box he overheard another well-dressed man in the crowd murmur. “Excuse me, but are you talking about that box up there?” Jefferson stopped to ask the man, feeling quite rude, but being too curious to stop himself. 

Nate had been to charity auctions before so he knew how these types of things went down. His parents used to host them from time to time but usually the things they had up for auction weren’t of any interest to Nate. This auction, however, oh boy. When Nate heard what was up on the auction docket, he had to attend.

While he could potentially dig into his inheritance to put in a bid for the box, Nate was far more interested in the historical side of it. Wondering if it was the real deal or not. After all, Camelot was thought to be a myth and it turned out to be real.

“That guy over there says it’s a fake. And the woman in the strange hat says it’s real.” Nate struck up a conversation with one of the many people he recognized in attendance. “What do you think?”

This sort of event was far out of Jefferson’s comfort zone or anything he was used to. His time with the Legends was about the only time the young man had spent outside of Central City. Growing up they never had much and now he was trying to start a family with the salary of an auto mechanic and a nurse. It had been a few years since Jefferson found himself at a place like this. Strolling around the auction in a slim fit suit, the man found himself missing his mechanic’s overalls. So far, the man had not given much thought to the box and what it could be mean. Up until the event his main focus had been making sure he was able to attend and actually look like he belonged. His wife, Caity, was home with their daughter and Gideon had fabricated him a stunning suit. It felt odd, but also amazing to in a small way do Legends stuff again. 

Finally seeing a familiar face, Jefferson made his way over to Nate. This big of an event in Central City, his own hometown, Jefferson had expected to see a lot of famliar faces. However, the young man had been out of the loop for a long time and there was a lot of new faces in Central City these days. “I don’t know, man. Fake or not, can’t get in the wrong hands.”

Battle for Pandora’s Box: Act One

“Nate and Leonard - or Leo, I guess he prefers.” Carter muttered. Even though the two Snarts went by different nicknames it was a struggle sometimes to tell the two apart. “That’s another thing - we got Snart back.” He realised that was a bigger bit of news than most, considering everything that had happened, but with his own propensity for coming back from the dead, he had adjusted fairly easily to it. “Our Snart - Len. Leo’s here too with his husband, but Len is as well. Usually kinda hard to tell them apart until they open their mouth.”

“Wait, hang on.” Jefferson said and stopped walking, reaching his hand out he grabbed Carter, as to signal him to stop. “We got Snart back? How? And that’s freaking amazing, man!” Jefferson blurted out, going through shock, joy and confusion like a rollercoaster. “Okay, so..” Jax started as he also started walking again. “That other Leo is from another Earth, right? And we call him Leo and our Snart we call what? Len?” 

“Thanks, Jax.” Ray replied a warm smile coming to his face at his friend’s words. He really did want a family some day, call him old fashioned, but he couldn’t think of anything better than settling down and raising children with someone he loved completely. A normal life. Laughing, he nodded, “I’ll try my best to keep saving it.”

He gave a little nod, though he didn’t really know what something Jax could have seen. He certainly hadn’t noticed whatever it was. “They’re happy and that’s the main thing.” Ray agreed wholeheartedly with Jax’s appraisal of Constantine’s value to the team, he wanted John to stick around too, but the warlock kept insisting he wasn’t a team player. “He’s sort of like a cat, comes and goes when he pleases, claims he doesn’t play well with others. But I agree.” Wandering further into the break room, Ray looked at some of the pictures pinned to a noticeboard on the wall. “Yes, please.”

“You always do, man.” Jax replied and let out a small laugh. The young man truly had meant his words, but he didn’t know how else to make the man believe him. “Keep doing what you do best and the right woman’s gonna’ be there when you least expect it.” Jefferson said and gave Ray a pat on the shoulder. Honestly, Jefferson was shocked Ray hadn’t gotten hitched before him. Ray was a catch and definitely ready to be a father. Hell, he’d acted like a father for many of them during their time on the time ship. A father no one really listened to, but always loved and had fun with, especially had fun teasing. Memories like those from the Waverider always brought a smile to Jefferson’s face. 

The young mechanic smiled and nodded when Ray spoke about Amaya and Mick being happy. As they spoke about Constantine Jefferson got two cups out of the cupboard for him and Ray. “Sounds like another brit I once knew on that ship” Jax said with a chuckle, meaning Rip. Rip Hunter was the team’s first captain. He wasn’t always the best people person, but he brought the bunch together and started the legends. The brave man even died a legend. Still deep in thought about Rip, Jefferson poured coffee into the two cups and brought one of them over to Ray. “Here you go, Atom.” 

Zatanna smiled and took his hand in hers. Small and delicate, but powerful if used in the right way. “Zatanna Zatara. Nice to meet you Jefferson.”

“Nice to meet you too, Zatanna” Jefferson said with a smile and took her hand in his with some pressure before letting go. Taking a few steps away from the counter, Jefferson grabbed the stroller with his daughter in, however it was a struggle with only one hand since he was using the other to hold the coffee. Turning back to his new acquaintance he made a suggestion. “Would you like to sit and enjoy your coffee with me and my daughter today?” 

“Martina! That’s a beautiful name.” The weight that bared on the true origin of her name wasn’t lost on Sara. Martin had a profound impact on all of their lives but especially the young man before her. The two worked so seamlessly. His death rattled up the confidence and flow of their dynamic. It upped the stakes and forever changed Sara’s stance on her role as captain. Never again would she allow herself to slip up and become complacent.  “Can we be friends, Martina?” She questioned before holding her hand out to the young girl. 

“Yes!” Sara hissed happily. “I think there’s a nice little diner not far from here that has the best ice cream sundaes. How about it, Mar?” 

When Sara complimented Martina on her name the small girl covered her face with her hands and giggled. This made a wide smile appear on her father’s lips. Jefferson and Sara had too few pure and beautiful moments like these, he wanted to enjoy every second of this one. “Yes! Friends!” Martina exclaimed and grabbed Sara’s hand with both of hers. Small Martina was not yet 2 years old and had very small and tanned hands compared to Sara’s bigger and paler hands. 

The young girl squealed at the mention of ice cream. “Yeeees!” the girl exclaimed and kept squealing and giggling. “She may be small, but she definitely knows what ice cream is” the young dad told his friend and chuckled. "That diner sounds like a great idea.” Jax continued and turned to his daughter. “You ready to roooll?” he asked his daughter and made some silly hand gestures, merely getting giggles and small hand claps as response from the small child. Jefferson was definitely what you could call a ‘fun dad’, which his daughter always loved, to a point that would definitely bug his wife on some days. 

“Believe me, I know.” Oliver whined subtly. That Ducati had gotten him through many a bad nights. No one appreciated the classic gas starter with the jet black paint job and roaring engine. There was no better feeling that the wind literally whipping at his cheeks as he road down the dimly lit streets of Star City. “I’m being sincere.” He sald flatly. “Thanks.” Oliver picked out a few of the larger pieces with a distinct scrunch in his nose. “So, how’s life post Legends?” His curiosity piqued at the possibility of walking away from this life. Was Jax doing what they wished they could at some point. 

Looking through the garage’s small office Jax easily located the first aid kit and turned to walk back over to Oliver. Jefferson was always a little nervous around Oliver. It was Oliver freaking Queen. The man who started everything. The stable rock in the mess that was Star and Central City. Through it all, the man had no powers. Impressed didn’t begin to cover how Jefferson felt about Oliver’s accomplishments. With a goofy smile the young man came back to Oliver and sat down by his side. “It’s good actually. There’s no saving the world or Firestorm or any of that, but, man, I’d never go back.” Jax admitted with bright smile, fiddling with the kit to find what they needed as he spoke. “Having a kid and a wife is adventure enough, believe me.” he continued. The young mechanic loved his daughter more than anything, but she sure wasn’t easy. 

It was hard to find anything in the world Lisa despised more than cops. Despite being of the more favoured side of the law in recent times, Lisa still had a history with the CCPD that wouldn’t be forgotten in a rush. Which was probably why she was sitting on the wrong side of the desk, tapping her foot impatiently.

“This is ridiculous. I haven’t done anything wrong.” Lisa pouted, looking aggravated yet bored as if she had better places to be. “Why am I here?”

All dressed in his mechanic’s work overalls and tool box in hand Jefferson moved through the Central City’s own police station. He had been there on a job that he had just finished. The job had been on one of the police cars and it had gotten dirty enough that he was let into the station to wash up. On his way through the station to leave he noticed a beautiful woman who seemed to both be upset and seemed familiar to him. The young mechanic swore he had seen this woman before but could not quite place her. However, at that moment, the man was more concerned about that fact that she seemed upset. Keeping an eye on his surroundings the man moved closer to the woman and tried to get eye contact. He gave her a look as to say ‘are you okay?’, ready to jump in if she needed him to but otherwise leaving her alone. 

Mya raised an eyebrow, momentarily confused about his words before she made the connection. “Ooooh. No. No.” She murmured, shaking her head. “For one…. that is not hygienic at all, and also a big waste of alcohol. Only drinks will be from glasses”

Jefferson let out a laugh in reaction to both her confusion and her reply. “Good deal. Let’s do this!” the man exclaimed, making some silly movements in the air with his hands. This was one of the first nights he’d had with no work, no wife and no baby since the baby came. The young dad was very tired, but he was not ready to give up his free night just yet. 

“I’ll bet.” Ray’s smile was a tiny bit wistful, the hope that one day he’d have a family of his own only growing stronger with every word Jax spoke. He could see how content the other man was, even with having the huge responsibility of being a Dad. Smiling at Jax’s question, he nodded, “of course you do. You’ve set the bar, shown us what we can have when it’s our time to leave the ship. That it’s possible to have normalcy after everything we’ve seen and done.” Ray patted Jax’s shoulder gently, reinforcing the sentiment.

“You did? I didn’t have a clue, although I suppose Mick was nicer to Amaya after she gave him that ninja star.” Ray was more than a little clueless when in came to certain things. “Oh, yeah, John’s a warlock. He helped us banish a demon.”

As Ray spoke the young mechanic locked eyes with his old friend and just took in his words. Of course, Jefferson had always known that the Legends were happy for him and proud of him for living a happy normal life, but no one had put it into words as Ray did.The young man had never been good at taling about his feelings and became literally speechless. “Thank you, Ray. And, hey, I see this for you too, and until then you just have to say the world” the man said kiddingly

“Nah, man, I didn’t know nothing, just kinda’ saw something between them, you know.” Jax said about Mick and Amaya. No one had told Jax anything about them, but during the time the three of them were all on the ship Jax had always gotten a feeling there was something there. “Damn, man. You should keep that dude around.” Jax said with a smile as he started fiddling with some cups. “You want coffee, man?” 

“It’s alright. I’ve just learned not to take favors from strangers. Nothing personal.” Zatanna offered as she ordered her own coffee after he did his own order. “Never want to owe the wrong person.”

“No worries, I get it, you don’t know me.” Jefferson said and turned to the barista as he got handed his coffee. “How about we change that?” the man said with a friendly smile and turned back to the woman. “I’m Jefferson Jackson” he said and reached out his free hand.