Rip, Mick, and Snart were in firemen outfits as we were trying to find Mick's younger self. I, on the other hand, didn't have to wear a fireman outfit. I had on my black hoodie with studded leather vest and ripped skinny jeans with combat boots, and I was wearing my mask, so it would've been hard for me to go undercover. I was scoping the house to find baby Mick.

"This isn't my element." I heard Snart on the comm.s and smiled, rolling my eyes.

"It's mine." Mick said after grunting.

"Just keep a weather eye out for the Pilgrim. Gideon calculates a 97% chance that she will attack your younger self in this exact time and place." Rip said as I walked around the house, making sure not to be seen by the actual firemen.

"Roll it." Mick said. I heard some coughing on the comm.s as I saw Sara and Jax run out of the burning house.

"Young Rory's not in there." Sara said and continued coughing.

"But we found his parents. They're dead." Jax said and I sighed, everything stopped for a second.

101

"I miss my mom and dad." Natasha said to me and I looked down at her.

"Me too." I lied. I never knew my parents, but I felt like if I told her that, it would bring her a sense of belonging. We heard the door slam and stood up as the woman came back.

"Why does this place still look like trash?" she asked and I stepped forward.

"Because we aren't here to do your bidding." I said and she laughed. I felt a sting on my face and cupped my cheek, looking back at her.

"You're here because your parents didn't want you." she said and I felt my breath hitch in my throat.

101

"Atom, Fae, do you two see anything?" Rip asked, bringing me out of my memories. I looked around, seeing a boy sitting down, watching the fire. Behind him was a woman, holding out a gun.

"Got 'em." I said before running and jumping, tackling her to the ground. I felt the need to punch something. I let out a shout as I brought my fists down as hard and fast as I could. She growled and knocked me off of her, standing up. I was about to get her again before Ray appeared and shot her with his laser blast things. I walked up to him, saying a quick thank you before turning to young Mick.

"Come with us if you want to live." Ray and I said at the same time before we turned to each other.

"I'm sorry, did you want to say that? I just saw the opportunity and-"

"It's okay, Fae." He said before I could start rambling and I smiled, turning back to young Mick.

101

"Mr. Rory. How are you feeling?" Stein asked as Mick (our Mick) walked into the bridge. I was sitting on one of the jump seats, thinking about my past and trying to figure out where I was weakest, where the Pilgrim would try to attack me and where I wouldn't be able to fight back.

As a kid, I was always good at fending for myself, even with my terrible foster mom, I could talk back to her and she'd get mad and sure, she'd scare me, but she never made me weak. I knew who made me weak and it made my stomach churn. I knew exactly where the Pilgrim would try to kill me, and it was no where I wanted the team by. Not that it would be too dangerous for them, the fact is it's in my past and I don't want to remember it, and I certainly don't want anyone on the team to know.

It was at this point that I realized I had missed most of the conversation going on around me.

"Cassie!" someone shouted and I jumped, looking up to see Mick staring at me. I looked around and everyone was staring at me.

"Yes?" I asked, trying to sound confident.

"I try to say thank you and you space out on me." Mick grumbled and I frowned.

"Sorry, why were you thanking me?" I asked and he looked at Ray before back to me.

"For saving me." he said and I smiled before pointing at Ray.

"If it wasn't for him, I'd be a pile of dust." I said and he nodded.

"Already thanked him, keep up." he muttered and I nodded, pulling my knees to my chest on my chair.

"You know what I don't get is why doesn't the Pilgrim just go back a week earlier and kill younger Rory then?" Ray asked and I snorted.

"Optimistic." I mumbled with a small smirk.

"'Cause the Omega Protocol calls for precision. Multiple attempts from the Pilgrim could do irreparable temporal damage." Rip said, coming out of nowhere and walking to the computer table.

"Which means she's only got one shot at killing each and every one of us." Mick continued, his eyes widening insanely, but to be fair, he is insane.

"And we only have one shot to extract your younger selves from the timeline before she pulls the trigger." Rip said and I raised my hand.

"Speaking of which-" I started, standing up before a big blue Gideon head appeared above the table.

"Sir, based on the temporal wake generated by the Pilgrim's Time Ship, I calculate a 96% likelihood that she is heading to Starling City circa, 2007." Gideon said and I immediately shut up. In 2007, I had moved to Starling City, but for some reason, I felt that the Pilgrim wasn't targeting me.

"She's targeting Sara." I said and they all looked at me.

"How do you know?" they asked and I felt my heart about beat out of my chest.

"Because I know when she'll go after me." I said quietly. Rip pointed at me.

"We are going to talk about this when we get back, for now, let's go save Sara." he said, turning to leave before turning back to me, "Sit and stay." he said and I nodded, sitting right back down.

"I could help!" I called as they walked out of the bridge.

"We have it handled, Cassie." Rip called back without turning to me. I sighed and crossed my arms. Once they were gone, I heard a voice and jumped.

"Did they finally put the dog in the dog house?" I heard and sighed, grabbing at my head.

"Go away." I muttered and looked up. In front of me stood Tiffany and Kyle. I growled, standing up, "You're only here because I was thinking about you." I muttered, turning and walking away from them on the bridge. I walked through a door and jumped as I saw someone standing there.

"You are correct." Slade said, and walked towards me. I began to back up before turning around, almost bumping in to someone else.

"So just stop thinking about us, Cassie." Malcolm stood there, and I shook my head, backing up again. This time, I did bump into someone. I turned around, ready to punch someone, but before I did, I looked up to see Snart.

"Snart!" I said and jumped. He raised an eyebrow at me.

"Carlisle." he said as if mocking me, "Why so jumpy?" he asked, noticing me looking slightly afraid.

"I, um, Rip's mad at me." I lied and turned around. Malcolm was gone, so was Slade, and Tiffany, but Kyle still stood there, looking as snobby as ever. I cleared my throat and walked over to the computer table, "So, I'm not allowed to leave the ship and help them with anything." I said and heard him hum as he walked up behind me.

"Then come with me." he said quietly, snaking his hands around my waist as he rested his chin on my shoulder. I sighed.

"I can't. When they get back from saving young Sara, I have to tell them where to find young me." I said, turning back around and pecking him on the lips, "But definitely later."

I heard Kyle groan from beside me and it took every ounce of self control in my body to stop my head from snapping in his direction.

"Okay." Snart smiled and pulled back from me, "I'll be waiting." he winked and left the bridge.

"Wow, that was disgusting." Kyle said from beside me and I growled, flipping him off and sitting on a jump seat.

101

"Has Gideon figured out the Pilgrim's next target yet?" Jax asked, walking over to Rip who was leaned over the computer table (yes, that will forever be my name for it).

"That's peculiar." Rip answered and I raised an eyebrow. He hadn't talked to me about what I knew yet and I was waiting for him to snap.

"Peculiar or bad?" Kendra asked from beside him. I crossed my arms, raising an eyebrow. I had my mask off so they could see.

"Gideon, run another scan for the whereabouts of the Pilgrim." he said and I walked up to the computer table, glancing at the screen.

"I'm sorry, sir. The timeline shows no temporal distortions. I seem to be unable to track the Pilgrim." Gideon said and I raised my hand.

"Ah, yes, Cassie. I almost forgot." Rip said and crossed his arms, "Where do you think the Pilgrim might be targeting you?" he asked and I sighed, thinking about the exact place date.

"Seattle Washington, December first, 2003. Spring Hill High School." I said and he crossed his arms.

"Okay, why do you think she'll be looking for you there?" he asked. I opened my mouth to tell him, but I couldn't bring myself to it as everyone stared at me. I choked on my words as I tried not to remember.

"Rip, can you just trust me on this one?" I asked and he examined my facial features before sighing and nodding.

"Gideon, what percentage chance is it that the Pilgrim shows up then?" he asked, keeping his eyes on me.

"An 89% chance, sir." Gideon answered and I let out a heavy breath.

"Set a course, Gideon."

101

We were waiting outside the school. I had to wear my mask so none of the students recognized because they definitely would. It took a lot of arguing with Rip before he even let me on the mission. He had told us not to engage until we saw the Pilgrim. I saw my younger self walking up to the school, a black eye, scratched cheek, and bleeding lip. I was standing in between Snart and Mick, and I elbowed them both, nodding to my younger self.

"Whoa. Get into a fight?" Mick asked and I scoffed a laugh.

101

"You never do anything! I should have never accepted you!" she shouted, slamming her champagne bottle down on my head. Glass cut my cheek and lip and I already had a black eye and bruised body from her punches and kicks. I coughed up blood and looked at her.

"That all you got?" I asked, checking the time. I had to get to school. She checked as well before pointing at me.

"Later you're getting hell. Get to school." she said, pushing me towards the door. She knew if I didn't go to school, the agency would visit and if they saw that she was beating me up they'd put me back in the orphanage or in another foster home.

101

I watched my younger self walk up to school and my stomach churned as I saw Kyle walk up to her. Tiffany wasn't on his arm right now, and before I could get into school, he had me pushed against a wall. I tightened my grip on the boys and they looked at me as I stared at my younger self and Kyle.

"Run." I whispered, but she couldn't hear me. I saw myself trying to push him away, to no avail as he wiped the blood off of my lip.

"Hey, your boyfriend's kind of a douche." Mick said and I looked up him.

"He wasn't my boyfriend." I said and looked at the other end of the court yard to see Tiffany, "He was hers." I growled before looking back at Kyle. He leaned down and pressed his disgusting fish lips against mine, despite me trying to yell and push him back. Snart moved to lift his gun and as much as it pained me, I stopped him, "Wait for Pilgrim." I mumbled. I saw Tiffany run up to Kyle, pulling us apart. She yelled something inaudible at me, but I remembered it all. I felt a tear slide down my cheek and my mask shocked me. I yelped and pulled it off, grumbling before looking back up. I saw Tiffany slap my younger self and this time both of the boys moved. On the corner of the school, I saw the Pilgrim and nudged the two.

Now they moved to a hiding spot nearby. We watched as the Pilgrim drew closer, shooting anybody she deemed unimportant. My younger self looked almost ready to cry at the chaos that had happened throughout the day, but stood tall. I clicked my mask back on, creating my sledgehammer as the Pilgrim pointed her gun at my younger self.

I let out a shout as I jumped and the Pilgrim looked at me in shock as I brought my sledgehammer down, bashing her face. I let Mick and Snart finish her as I walked up to Kyle and Tiffany and my younger self. I punched Kyle in the face and looked at Tiffany.

"If either of you ever place a finger on her again, I'll destroy you both." I said and Snart and Mick walked up behind me.

"So will we." Snart said as they both showed off their guns, the whirring sound of them starting up very audible. I walked up to myself.

"Come with us."

101

"Gideon was tracking the Pilgrim's temporal wake. I didn't think it was possible to conceal one's movements throughout time." Stein said in confusion as I walked back in the Bridge. Young me was now with young Mick and Sara. I knew Sara would stick up for her/me and I had fire power if Mick tried to do anything so I wasn't worried, but she was kind of shaken up.

"Well, it is if the Time Masters are on your side." Rip said as he bended over. When he looked up, he locked eyes with me. I know the entire team could've saw what just happened to my younger self. He seemed to be making sure I was okay. I shrugged and sat in a jump seat, trying not to recall anything that I just saw.

"How does this all work?" Ray asked and we both turned our attention to him, "If she can travel to any place at any time, she could be killing any one of us right now." he said, holding his hand up, waist level like he was making sure of something.

"And if we die in the past-" Stein began.

"We die in the present." Rip finished and I let out an exasperated breath. I would rather my team members stay alive. The good news was we had already saved three of us.

"Wow. So interesting." Ray said and I snorted.

"Yeah, I always found the art of death intriguing too." I said sarcastically, except I did really go through a phase like that once.

"Ha ha." He said sarcastically at me before looking back at Rip, "How long does it take for what happens in the past to affect the present? Could I be dead right now and not know it? Maybe I am dead right now. Hello? Can anybody hear me?" he asked and I held in a laugh.

"No." Snart said and I couldn't help but let out a giggle.

"Existential crisis much?" I asked and Ray looked at me with an almost bored mixed with sarcastic look on his face.

"Look, the important thing is not to panic." Rip said and I snorted.

"Panicking? No. Why would anyone panic when they could be killed at any time." I said sarcastically, deciding I should probably shut up, but knowing that I wouldn't.

"Exactly." Jax agreed and I gestured to him with a face that basically said "see?".

"Well, there are a few exceptions." Rip said and I crossed my arms, "Kendra's ability to reincarnate means that it would do the Pilgrim no good to target her. And as a former Time Master, to remove me from history would be quite dangerous to the timeline." Rip said and I rolled my eyes.

"Well, that's convenient." Snart said and we all turned to him. I turned around in my seat as he was leaning on it behind me and I raised my eyebrows.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Rip asked, his words laced with sass.

"Nothing. It just occurs to me you've never told us about your past, Rip. And I don't trust a man with secrets." he said and I glanced at Rip before looking back at Snart as I bit my lip.

"Look, the less information you have to offer on me, the less valuable you are to our now numerous enemies." Rip tried to reason.

"Like I said, convenient." Snart said loudly and I pulled my knees on the chair. I was cool with beating people up, and if I needed to, I was good in an argument, but I hated when people around me argued.

"Are they fighting?" I heard Sara asked and looked at her.

"This is not a fight. It's merely an exchange of ideas." Rip said, sounding angry as he didn't even turn to see that Sara was looking at a screen.

"No, not you. Them." she said and I jumped up, running to the screen to see Sara slap Mick while younger me stood beside them, most likely saying something sassy. Mick laughed and I grabbed my mask from off the computer table, popping it on.

"Let's go." I said, not waiting for them to respond as I ran down to the Cargo Bay.

Once I got down there, I saw young Mick angry as well as young Sara, and young me just looked kind of neutral. Soon, Sara appeared beside me.

"What's going on?" I asked and young Mick looked at us.

"She slapped me." he said.

"The little weirdo said that he liked the way we smelled." young Sara said and I saw young me lift her arm and sniff her armpit and I laughed quietly under my mask.

"I'm usually a lot smoother, but I'm sort of freaking out right now." young Mick said and I patted my Sara on the back.

"You handle this one, I'm just trying not to laugh." I said, really wanting to high five them all, but I knew that wasn't the mature thing to do so I backed up and let Sara take care of it. Sara rolled her eyes, pointing a finger at younger Sara.

"You, hands to yourself. The next time, hit with a flat palm." she said and turned to Mick, "And you... you're not her type." she said before turning to young me, "And you..." she started and younger me looked around before pointing at herself, "You're pretty good, keep doing what you're doing." she said and young me smiled before sticking her tongue out at the other two. I laughed and Sara looked at me, "Did you even mature at all?" she asked me and I lifted my mask just enough to stick my tongue out at her.

We began to leave and the three of them started to follow. Young me sat on one of the cargo boxes, looking around.

"Hey, when do I get to go home?" Sara asked and young me raised her hand.

"Me too. Don't get me wrong, this place is awesome, I just can't be late for dinner, you know how... parents are." she lied and I turned to them.

"You're all safest here." I said and looked at young me, "Especially you." I said and she seemed to pale.

"Trust us." Sara said and grabbed my arm, pulling me out. I sighed, biting my lip.

"Stupid teenage years. If I start making out with Mick I'm pulling them out and slapping them both." I muttered, "And if I start making out with you then I will just encourage them." I said with a slight smirk and she pushed me away playfully.

"Go away." she mumbled and I grinned.

"You know you love me."

The ship began shaking and we quickly made our way to the Bridge, I felt ready to throw up as I tore off my mask and got in a seat next to Snart.

"What the hell is going on?" I asked.

"Apparently, Raymond's getting killed in 2014." Snart filled me in and my eyes widened. I knew him then.

101

Once we landed, I popped my mask back on and threw on my studded leather vest quickly, ready to save one of my best friends.

"Hey, do you think while we're here, I can see Ollie?" I asked through comm.s and heard Rip sigh in annoyance.

"Can you just focus on the mission for now, Fae?" he asked and I nodded.

"Right, yeah, mission. Gotta save Ray." I said as I walked through the familiar halls of Palmer technologies. I found the room they were in, seeing Jax frozen as the Pilgrim held her hand up and I looked around to see Rip helping up Ray. The Pilgrim threw Jax back and I formed my sledgehammer, running and jumping up to bash it down on her again. This time, she was smarter. She held her hand up to me, stopping me with whatever kind of force she has before throwing me back into the wall, making me cough and groan as bits of the wall fell down on me. The next thing I saw was Rip shooting the Pilgrim with a piece of past Ray's Atom suit. I smiled victoriously before sighing as everything darkened.

101

I woke up with Snart, Sara, and Kendra around me. I looked around with a groan to see that I was in the Med Bay. I sat up and looked at my wrist to see one of Gideon's wristband things around it.

"Why am I here?" I asked, wincing at the pain in my back.

"You bumped your head." Snart said and I knew that wasn't the whole of it.

"The Pilgrim threw you into a wall and you blacked out." Sara told me the truth, slightly glaring at Snart, who just smirked, "Come on and get ready, we're going to the hospital." Sara said, throwing an outfit to me after I pulled off the wrist band.

"I really don't think I need one of them." I said with a smirk and she rolled her eyes as her and Kendra walked to the door.

"It's to pick up baby Snart." she said, glancing at Snart, who just rolled his eyes at her.

"Count me in." I said, standing up and looking at the nurses outfit that she had passed to me. Once the door closed behind them, Snart was at my side, kissing me all over. I smiled and kissed his lips.

"You don't have to go with them." he offered and I smirked, raising my eyebrows.

"I have the chance to see what you looked like as a baby, and you think I'm going to pass that up?" I asked teasingly and he rolled his eyes, "But I'll be back soon." I whispered and pecked his lips, "Now get out so I can become a nurse." I said, pointing to the door. He grinned and raised his hands in defense, walking to the door. I watched as he turned and winked at me before leaving. I chuckled to myself and put on the outfit before joining Sara and Kendra.

101

"All right, this is just like any other mission. The mark may be a newborn, but it might as well be a diamond or a microchip." Sara said as we walked to the newborns section.

"You know what? You're starting to sound like Snart." Kendra said and I nodded.

"Seconded." I agreed and held up a hand to high five her before quickly putting it back down and trying to be at least slightly professional. Sara just groaned and opened the door.

"Okay, which one is Snart?" Kendra asked and I looked through the baby names quickly, finding him easily.

"Look for the one with horns." Sara said as she shut the door and I grinned at how cute the baby was.

"I found him." I said, reaching into the crib and picking him up gently. One of my jobs when in the orphanage was to take care of the younger kids, so I knew how to handle them.

"Great, grab him, let's go." Sara said as I used one hand to run my thumb lightly over his cheek, grinning.

"Look at how cute he is!" I said and Kendra walked over, awing with me over how adorable baby Snart was.

"Guys, come on, we don't have time for this." Sara said, clearly annoyed as she stomped up to us before stopping, "Oh, look at those cheeks!" she said and I nodded, grinning as we all awed over him.

"You are the cutest little baby in the world." I said quietly with a smile.

"Poor kid. He's gonna have a rough life ahead of him." Kendra said and I somehow held him closer.

"He doesn't need to know about that just yet. Let's go team."

101

We got back to the ship to find our younger selves trying to leave and I rolled my eyes.

"Where do you think you're going?" Mick asked from in front of us, "Give me that." he said, taking a crowbar from his younger self, "Inside." he said, pushing his younger self back inside and evidentially intimidating the other two back inside.

"Is that a baby?" young Sara asked and I nodded.

"Yes, and you guys are in charge of him." Sara said.

"Wait, I-" young Sara began.

"Made five grand last summer babysitting. You'll be fine." Sara said and I handed baby Snart to the first person there, which happened to be young Mick.

"No, I don't do babies." he argued and I grinned up at him.

"Now you do." I said with a wink as he took baby Snart from me.

"You better not drop my future criminal partner." Mick said and we all left. I stopped in the hallway and Mick and Kendra turned to me, Sara was already down the hall.

"I'll be there in a bit. Go on." I said and they nodded, walking off, most likely to the Bridge, without me. I leaned back, just enough to hear what was going on. I could hear baby Snart start crying before young me groaned.

"Give him to me." I heard her say and the crying soon quieted as I inched my way down to see young me holding him and quietly hushing him as she bounced him in her arms slightly, looking down at him, "You have so many years left in your life to cry, don't use your tears now." she whispered down and I smiled, walking away. We'd left him in good hands.

101

After we got baby Stein and Jefferson, we were on a ride to wherever Rip had planned for us to go. The Wave Rider stopped shaking as Rip turned to us in his seat, taking off his guard as did we.

"We're here." he said simply before standing up.

"Where is here?" Snart asked from beside me as Rip walked to the computer table, turning before walking more to the exit.

"Come, I'll show you."

We followed Rip outside to a little cottage and I looked around. It looked cute and cozy.

"Again, where is here?" Snart re-asked, still confused.

"We need a safe harbor to keep your younger selves." Rip answered without answering at the same time as we walked up the driveway. The door to the home opened as a woman who looked like she'd be a professor at Hogwarts walked out to greet us with a smile.

"I've been waiting." she said, shaking Rip's hand, "It's good to see you." she said and Rip turned at us before back to her.

"It is good to see you too, Mother."

101

We had been sitting in a room awkwardly, me in a chair behind Jax which was close to Snart who was sitting on a table, Ray opposite of me in another chair. Kendra was sitting on a couch and Stein was standing by the fireplace holding a cup of tea as were all of us. I sighed and stood up, handing Snart my tea before walking up to Rip and his mother.

"Hello, I'm F-Cassie. It's so nice to meet you." I said politely, holding my hand out and she smiled, shaking it kindly.

"It is so very nice to meet you too." She said before looking off into another room and sighing, "Excuse me." she said and went to go scold some children. Same.

"So, this is where Rip plans on keeping our baby selves?" Jax asked and I turned hastily to him.

"If all goes according to plan, we'll only be here for a few minutes, then presumably never remember." Stein said and I snorted a laugh.

""According to plan" he says." I laughed.

"Yeah, when's the last time anything went according to plan?" Ray asked, backing me up.

"I don't think there was a last time." Kendra said and I nodded, pointing at her.

"I really would sit up if I were you." Rip warned in a whisper after looking at his mother in the other room, "She'll kill you if she catches you slouching. Don't be fooled by appearances. That woman is tough as nails."

"I think she likes me." I said with a goofy smile and Rip looked at me.

"Keyword: think, angel." Snart said as I walked up to him and took my tea back and everyone turned to him.

"Is something-"

"Funny how you never mentioned having a mother." Snart cut Rip off, not wanting to listen to or answer whatever question he was going to ask.

"Adoptive mother." I heard and turned around to see her walking back into the room, "Now, can I interest any of you in some more tea?" she asked and I smiled as she walked over to us, pouring tea into Steins cup and then mine as we said quick "thank you"s, "So, Michael-"

"Michael?" Kendra asked with a smile as I smirked at Rip.

"That's me." Rip said, "My birth name."

"The Time Master's insist on the adoption of new identities for their protection." she said, pouring tea for anyone that wanted it.

"How do you know so much about the Time Masters?" Jax asked curiously.

"I work for them." she answered simply and the entire room seemed to tense as I looked down at my tea, thinking she could've drugged us or something, "Oh, don't worry. My true loyalty is to my children." she said and poured some tea in Rip's cup.

"The Time Masters fill their ranks with children, orphans pulled from throughout the course of history." Rip started to explain.

"When Michael arrived at the Refuge, he had nothing but the clothes on his back. There's a reason it's called the Refuge, and a reason that it exists in a secret location in history. The Time Masters will never think to look for you here." Rip's mother explained.

"Thank you for your assistance." Stein said and I smiled at her.

"Look, I know I make a gorgeous baby, but I should warn you. You've got you're hands full with me." Snart said, holding up his index finger and I rolled my eyes, but smiled.

"I assure you, you're not the first tough case to arrive at my door." she said and turned to Rip, giving him a knowing look before walking away.

101

I was walking the hallways before seeing my younger self huddled up against a wall. I raised an eyebrow and walked up to her, sitting down in front of her.

"You okay?" I asked and she looked up at me with bloodshot eyes.

"Can-Can I be honest with you?" she asked and I nodded, already knowing what was wrong, "Everyone thinks I'm strong, and I try to be strong, but I'm not. I take tough shit everyday and I can't handle it." she said, tears welling up in her eyes, "I don't know what to do." she said and I sighed, looking down slightly.

"Look, I know what you're going through. I've gone through the same thing. And I know how stupid and cliche this sounds, but it will get better, trust me." I said with a sad smile.

"You don't know how many times I've just thought of... Ending it." she said quietly and I frowned, moving closer.

"Listen, no matter what you're going through right now, there is only one you and you are beautiful and unique and perfect in your own way. If you end it now, think of all the future opportunities you'd be throwing away. You're only sixteen, you have you're whole long life ahead of you." I said, noticing someone from the corner of my eyes and looking to see Snart leaning on a doorway, gesturing to me that it was time to go, "Think of how many amazing people you'll meet. All the friends you'll have in the future." I said and she laughed gently.

"I don't think I'm capable of making friends." she said softly and I began to stand up.

"Then what is Natasha?" I asked, walking to Snart as she sat there shocked.

Snart and I walked to the ship together without a word until we were in the Cargo Bay.

"Amazing people?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oliver Queen and Barry Allen." I smirked and he rolled his eyes.

"Rude."

101

Snart and I had been sitting in the Bridge talking to each other, Rip, and Mick when Rip reported the rest of the team there after finding something.

"What's going on?" Sara asked as she walked into the bridge, her and Kendra being the last people there.

"Gideon has intercepted a trans-chronal beacon. Gideon, show them." he said and a video of the Pilgrim appeared on every screen in the room.

"This message is for Rip Hunter. I'm going to make this very quick and very simple." she began and an image of Lisa Snart appeared on the screen. I looked at Snart as he moved, staring intensely at the photo. Then Quentin Lance, I looked at Sara, "If I can't find you, I can find those you love." she threatened as Clarissa Stein appeared. I began to wonder who she'd choose from my life. Ollie? Seemed like the best choice. Anna Loring, Ray's dead ex appeared.

"Anna?" he asked and I bit my lip as the screen changed to the next image. I looked at the red headed girl and gasped. She had chosen Natasha.

"She can't." I whispered. The Pilgrim appeared back on screen and lifted a man in an army outfit.

"Dad!" Jax exclaimed with worry.

"All of them will suffer and die because of you. Your family, friends, anyone you've ever cared about. Unless you surrender your younger selves to me." The Pilgrim said.

"So she can erase you all from history." Rip said quietly.

"If it's of any comfort, you won't feel a thing. As for your loved ones, I cannot promise the same thing." As she finished, Rip backed up and pounded his fists on the table, seeming more upset with himself than her, I should know the face.

Rip then called the Pilgrim back and offered her the most idiotic deal I had ever heard. He was going to give up his younger self for us. She obviously took it and once they hung up I looked at Rip angrily, holding up my hand and slapping him hard across the face.

"Ow." he said, glaring at me.

"You are the stupidest thing on this Earth, aren't you?" I asked and he furrowed his eyebrows at me.

"What?" he asked and I groaned.

"There are smarter ways to save our loved ones than offering your head on a silver plate." I said and he rolled his eyes.

"Just wait and see, Ms. Carlisle."

101

"What is this place?" Jax asked as we walked into a seemingly abandoned building.

"Neutral ground. It's a defunct Time Masters outpost." Rip explained and I pulled down my mask, looking around as it powered up.

"I thought we were picking up Minni-Rip, or Michael." I asked, looking around.

"He's being brought to us, actually." Rip said, looking left. We looked where he was looking, Jax, Stein, Mick, and I. There I saw Rip's mother with a boy who had tried to steal something at the Refuge.

"That little boy was at the Refuge. He's you." Stein said as Rip turned to him. He then turned to his mother.

"You got my message?" he asked and she looked very annoyed.

"I don't approve of what you're planning." she said and looked at little Michael. That's what I'm calling them now. Rip is Rip and young Rip is Michael, "Not that it ever stopped you before." she said and turned to us, "You're younger selves are all still safe and sound."

"Thank you." Jax said kindly and I bowed to her like a weirdo, gaining a strange look, whether it was because of my mask or my bow, I wasn't sure. She then looked at Mick.

"You're a naughty one." she said and I smiled a hidden smile.

"That's right." Mick said with a small smile. Rip turned, as did I, to see the Pilgrim walking up to us.

"I think it's probably about time that you left." Rip said to his mother, who stepped closer to him, leaning close.

"Give her hell." I heard her say before turning to Michael and fist bumping him. She left and I smirked, forming a ball in my hand and throwing it up, catching, and repeating.

"Where's my dad?" Jax asked and I glared at her.

"And my sister." I added, biting my lip.

"On board my ship, along with the rest. All in perfect condition... as long as your captain honors the end of our bargain." she said, one hand behind her back as I eyed her.

"You'd murder a child?" Stein asked.

"I'd murder as many children as is necessary to accomplish my mission." she said and I couldn't help but roll my eyes. That's stupid.

"Do you know what this will do to the timeline, killing a Time Master?" Stein asked and I continued tossing my ball.

"In case you've forgotten, I am sanctioned by the Time Masters to do what my former colleague, Chronos here, failed to do." she said.

"Which is why we like him better." I said quietly, glancing at Mick who was glaring at the Pilgrim, but shot me a look, before I went back to staring at my ball.

"Enough of that. Let's get down to business." Rip said and I tried not to giggle as I thought of Mulan, biting my lip.

"Where's the rest of your group?" the Pilgrim asked. Smart thinking.

"They're around." Rip answered simply and I smirked continuing to toss my ball.

"I'll be taking the boy." she said as if it was actually going to happen.

"Before you do that, we don't believe for a second their loved ones are on your ship." Mick said, trying to draw out her hostages.

"A show of good faith, then. A prisoner exchange. Send the boy, and I'll send the father-"

"And my sister." I cut her off and she glared at me.

"Once I have the future Captain Hunter in my possession, then I'll release the rest." she said, holding up what looked like a remote from behind her back. She pressed a button and Jax's father appeared. Natasha was nowhere to be seen and my glare sharpened. Jax's father looked around in confusion.

"What the Hell is going on?" he asked.

"You don't need to understand." the Pilgrim said, pushing him slightly, "Only walk." she said and I saw Rip turn to Michael, putting his hands on his shoulders. I continued to toss my ball, staring at them.

"You are gonna be absolutely fine. I promise." Rip promised and I grinned, knowing the plan was about to take place. Michael nodded before walking to the Pilgrim, Jax's dad walking to us.

"As soon as my dad's in the clear, let's light this up." I could faintly hear Jax whisper to Stein and raised an eyebrow as I continued to toss my ball, it landing in my hand every time. Even if I wasn't staring intently at it, it would land in my hand as I could control where it went.

"Remember, we wait for Ray's cue." I heard Sara through my ear piece and smiled. I saw a small dot of light that wouldn't be noticeable if I didn't know what it was, following Michael.

"I'm in position." Ray said through the comm.s and my smile grew into a smirk.

"You wanted to see me? Have I done something wrong, Miss?" Michael asked in an innocent voice.

"Not yet." The pilgrim answered.

"Now!" Ray shouted as I threw my ball up. I transformed it into my sledge hammer in midair and dropping into my hands as I grinned. Ray had turned big behind her and started shooting a laser beam thing at her and she'd frozen him.

"Fool me once." she said and I began running at her as Snart and Sara ran out from behind a pillar. Mick and Snart began shooting at her and she leaned down before holding out her arms and turning their attacks against themselves, blowing them back. I glared at her, anger embodying me. Firestorm flew up and began shooting a fireball at her. She froze him as Snart and Mick began firing at her once again. Sara and I ran at her, me holding my hammer over my head as we both jumped up.

"Now, Kendra!" Rip shouted and Kendra flew in from wherever she had been hiding. The Pilgrim froze us all and I looked around. Snart's blue fire looked a lot prettier when it was frozen and Mick's red fire didn't look quite as beautiful, but more fluffy, as did Firestorms. Ray's beam looked like magic from Harry Potter and Rip's coat was frozen flapping in the wind. The Pilgrim looked around at all of us, not noticing Michael on the ground.

"I was willing to proceed in good faith. Now you'll watch the closest to you die." she said before freezing as Michael punctured her stomach with a knife, a devilish smile on his face.

"Thought you could snuff me out? You don't know me at all, Miss." he said and stabbed her once again. She screamed out in pain before slapping him away, unfreezing all of us. I stopped, knowing that if I continued running I'd get absolutely demolished by all the beams aimed at her. Instead, Sara and I ran for Michael, getting him away from it all quickly as my hammer disappeared. I turned back to see the Pilgrim nothing but a pile of ashes.

"I have the feeling to punch something." I muttered, mainly to myself. Firestorm turned back into Jax and Stein and Rip's mother walked up to Michael, taking the shiv and walking away with him.

"That's you?" Mick asked.

"Yeah." Rip answered as we all gathered around, "I was a cut-purse from the age of five. Starved more than I ate. I knew what I'd do if she tried to harm me." he said and Snart put down his gun that he had been holding on his shoulder (which looked hot no lie).

"Lucky for us, you didn't forget your roots." Snart said as I popped my mask off, looking at them.

"Believe me, Mr. Snart, I've tried." Rip said, turning and walking away. I frowned, biting my lip as I knew the feeling.

101

"So I see you were still set on making that mask." Natasha said, pointing at my mask. We had got the hostages and brought them to the WaveRider in one piece. I was supposed to give her a pill that apparently erased her memory, but I wanted to talk to her first. She was so different. I hadn't talked to her since I was fifteen, when I moved in with Ollie and Thea. She was so young then, and now she was an adult. I smiled and looked down at my mask, remembering a fourteen year old me filling little Nat's head with ideas of creating a mask similar.

"Yeah, it's pretty cool, wanna try?" I asked, holding it up to her. Her red hair was cut short and she just looked beautiful. She shook her head.

"I should really get back to my friends. Bruce can't really be contained without me." She said and I smiled. I had no clue who Bruce was, but I was glad she was finally able to make friends. Without thinking clearly, I pulled her into a hug.

"I've missed you." I said and pulled away, holding up the pill as tears filled my eyes, "And as much as I want you to remember that and this moment, I need you to take this." I said and she took the pill from me, examining it before smiling and looking back up at me.

"I love you." she said and I smiled, wiping my eye.

"I love you too, sis."

101

I met up with the rest of the crew on the bridge, my mask back on as I sat next to Snart.

"How's your sister?" I asked, staring at my hands.

"Fine. Yours?" He asked and I bit my lip.

"She's good." I smiled slightly and leaned back as Mick walked onto the bridge with a groan.

"Just pulled younger me's head from out of his ass." he said and Ray hummed in thought.

"I'm not sure it stuck." he said and I smirked.

"Me either." Mick agreed as he walked up to the computer table, "Then I saw younger Rip change, and I thought, why not give it a shot?" he said while pointing at Rip slightly.

"Surprised you two didn't advise your teenage selves to get on a certain boat." Stein said to me and Sara.

"If we did then we wouldn't be here, and I don't know about Sara, but I like it here." I said, smiling underneath my mask.

"Yak, yak, yak. I thought we were on a clock here." Snart said, interrupting the conversation and I rolled my eyes.

"Indeed we are." Rip said as he walked up to us, humming slightly, "Time, the history from which your younger selves were removed, is beginning to set... as is evidenced by the change in Clarissa's memory." he explained.

"Okay, so how long do we have till these changes stick?" Jax asked worriedly.

"No one knows." Mick answered simply.

"Which is why we need to move swiftly to locate Vandal Savage if any of your lives are to be restored to normal." Rip said and I furrowed my eyebrows. The longer this conversation continued, the more confused I seemed to become.

"So how long will it take to determine a new location for Savage?" Kendra asked and I nodded, pointing at her.

"What she said." I said, knowing I should've kept quiet, but it was too late for that now.

"Longer than we have." Rip said and I frowned, dropping my arm, "Fortunately, there is one place in time that we know Savage to be." Rip said. I crossed my arms over my chest, raising an eyebrow even though I knew he couldn't see due to my mask being in the way.

"You said he conquered the world in 2166." Mick said, not looking at Rip.

"You also said it was too dangerous to strike at Savage while he was at the height of his powers." Martin added like everyone else in the room were being children and he was the only one with common sense.

"That it is. But, with your younger selves removed from history, we have quite literally run out of time." Rip said darkly and I looked at everyone else, who went silent before back to Rip.

"Well don't sound too excited about it."