Sara ran out the ship the moment they touched down, Ray, Mick and Amaya following her. Reaching the small house she kicked the door open.
"Rip?"she yelled, "Rip? Are you here?"
They stalled hearing Rip call back to them and Sara ran up the stairs towards him, skidding to halt when she entered the room finding Rip on the bed trying to stop the bleeding from the knife wound in his stomach with a sheet.
"Get me back to the ship," he told them.
Mick and Ray each grabbed an arm to lift him off the bed, making Rip cry out in pain for a moment before he gritted his teeth against it. The trip back to the Waverider didn't take long and Sara watched Rip concerned when he was placed in the medical chair so Gideon could heal him anger radiating from him.
"What happened?" Sara asked once he was healed.
"She used me against Summer," he stated, bouncing up from the chair to pace, "Placed a power dampener on her and I'm assuming took her somewhere in a ship. I don't know because Summer sent me away."
Sara watched Rip rest his hands against the bulkhead and take several deep breaths, "Gideon?"
"I'm here, Captain," the reply came.
Rip turned, "Sara, I need to talk to Gideon alone."
Concerned she rested her hand on his arm, "Rip, what's wrong?"
Rip took a deep breath ignoring the question, "It is important, Sara. I need to speak with Gideon."
Sara grimaced before nodding, "I'll be on the bridge when you're finished."
x
Rip waited for Sara to leave before calling, "Gideon, Summer told me to tell you it's time to keep your promise to her. So you are going to tell me, right now, exactly what you know." Silence answered him and Rip banged his fist against the wall in frustration, "Gideon!"
"I am so sorry, Captain," her voice came from directly behind him, to his confusion.
Slowly he turned and stared to see Gideon, his Gideon, the Gideon he always saw in his mind standing before him completely human, "What?"
She stepped forward her hand reaching out and he saw the hurt in her eyes when he flinched away.
"Gideon?" he asked confused before pushing his hand through his hair demanding, "Is anyone in my life who I thought they were?"
"I am so sorry, Captain," Gideon stated softly, "I know that you are learning much today that is changing everything you have ever believed but we do not have the time for you to get your head around this."
Rip shook his head looking up when she rested her hand on his arm, "You're real? You're human?"
A smile touched her lips and she nodded, moving her hand to his cheek, "I am."
"I don't understand," he breathed.
Gideon sighed, "I know and I promise once we are able to take the time I shall explain absolutely everything."
"Is Summer my mother?" Rip asked softly, needing to make sure he'd understood what she'd told him correctly.
Gideon nodded.
"Rip," Sara's voice came suddenly, "We have company."
Gideon grimaced, "That will be Summer's sisters. You need to speak with them."
"Me?" Rip demanded stunned, "Summer always told me to stay well away from them."
"I know," Gideon replied, "That was before you knew the truth. They will not speak with any of the others, it has to be you. I will be there."
Rip took a deep breath, "Okay."
x
The three women who stood just outside the Waverider watched Rip and Gideon as they walked down the ramp. Sara hadn't been happy letting him go alone and he wondered what she was thinking seeing Gideon in human form.
That was going to be an interesting conversation.
Despite not being something he had really paid attention to, Rip was well aware how powerful and dangerous the three women were. Gideon walked at his side, and he was trying so hard to get his head around that fact.
Although they were sisters all three women looked very different. The woman standing to his right-hand side had flame-red hair with green eyes, the woman to the left had light brown hair with almond eyes and Rip instantly knew them to be Autumn and Spring. The final woman had jet black hair and brown eyes, this was Winter who he knew to be the eldest.
Winter stepped forward when they reached the bottom of the ramp, "I hoped we would be meeting you under better circumstances, Rip," she turned to Gideon, "How much does he know?"
"Only that Summer is his mother," Gideon stated, her hand resting on his shoulder making sure he remained silent, "The woman who has done this placed a power dampener on your sister before taking her from here."
Winter frowned, "I wish we could help you but by revealing ourselves we could make the situation worse. You are the only choice we have, Rip."
Rip looked at her confused, "So, you're sending me out to what?"
"Captain," Gideon warned.
He ignored her, "I have been told I'm your nephew and, despite how powerful you three are, it's my responsibility to save Summer without any help."
"You have Gideon," Winter replied.
"And that means what?" Rip demanded anger filling his voice. He felt Gideon touch his arm and turned to her, "I have no idea who you are."
Hurt filled her eyes, "I am Gideon. I have been with you since you became a Captain."
"And you've lied to me from that moment," Rip reminded her harshly.
Winter frowned, "You have your mother's temper."
Rip folded his arms retorting, "I'll have to take your word for that."
Spring intervened suddenly, "As always Summer and Winter should be kept apart. Come with me a moment, Rip."
"We do not have time for this," Winter stated.
"I am making the time," Spring said intently, "He needs to understand."
x
Reluctantly Rip followed Spring to a table nearby and sat with her.
"I am so sorry that this is how you found out about your mother," Spring told him, "Not being able to tell you hurt Summer so much but when the Time Masters found you it became much more dangerous for you to know."
"Why did she bring me here if it wasn't safe," Rip sighed.
Spring laughed softly, "She didn't. When your life was in danger, and you had no other option, it was instinct for you to come here. As much as she hated knowing you were in those situations being able to have you here for those short times made her happy."
Rip sighed rubbing his hand over his eyes. He glanced over to where Winter and Autumn stood with Gideon who was watching him worriedly.
"Trust her," Spring told him softly, "Gideon's entire purpose is your protection. I know you're confused but the longer Summer is in the hands of these people the more danger the entirety of time is in."
Rip let out a long sigh, "Do you know how I find her?"
"You're her son," Spring reminded him, "You have always had a natural instinct when it came to time, this is why. Use that and you will find her."
Sara stared at Gideon along with the rest of the crew while they listened to Rip explain, "Are you kidding me?"
Rip shook his head, "I wish I was."
"Gideon?" she asked, "You're actually Gideon?"
The woman Sara had seen in Rip's mind nodded softly, "I understand that you are all quite confused about what is currently happening. However we do not have time to discuss this. Charlatan has taken Summer for a reason and we need to rescue her."
"How do we find them?" Ray spoke up, "Because we have no way to track the ship that took Summer. We've already tried."
"Captain Hunter can find his mother," Gideon told them.
All eyes turned to him and Rip shrugged, "So they tell me."
"Okay," Sara nodded, motioning him to take the pilot's chair, "We have no idea what we are heading into so be ready for anything."
Rip stared at the controls for a second before glancing back at the rest of the crew. Shaking his head he sighed, "I need a minute," before leaving the bridge.
"Captain Lance," Gideon stopped Sara, "Let me speak with him."
Sara nodded and watched Gideon leave the bridge, "I guess we wait."
Taking a seat she sighed, she'd thought finding Rip's supposedly dead wife was going to be the strangest thing that happened to them that day.
x
Gideon walked quickly through the corridors of the ship finding Rip heading into the Jumpship with a bag.
"Where are you going?" she demanded stepping in front of the door.
Rip frowned, "Get out of my way, Gideon."
She folded her arms across her chest and stared at him, "You do not need to do this alone, Captain."
"I am leaving on that ship," Rip stated coldly, "You can either get out of my way or I will move you."
Gideon smiled slightly, "If you think you can, Captain then I suggest you try."
"Tell me that putting the rest of the team in danger is a good idea?" he demanded, "Tell me and I will go back to the bridge right now."
"You cannot do this alone," Gideon stated.
Rip motioned her towards the ship, "I thought that's why you were here."
Gideon grimaced before she turned and entered the Jumpship. Rip followed her tossing the bag into a corner before he started the launch sequence.
"Rip?" Sara's voice came, "What are you doing?"
Rip ignored her turning off the comm. expertly piloting the Jumpship into the temporal zone before turning to the woman sitting waiting for him to talk.
"They will just follow us," Gideon noted.
Rip gave a slight shrug.
"What did you do to my ship?" Gideon demanded.
"Technically the Waverider is my ship," Rip retorted.
She folded her arms, "You are not the one who has been a part of it for almost fifteen years. I am assuming it is something that I could not fix easily."
"I wasn't sure how connected you still were to it," he shrugged again.
Gideon frowned at him before she shook herself knowing she had to focus on helping Rip find Summer.
"Are you ready?" she asked.
Rip sighed, "I have no idea what to do."
"Close your eyes," Gideon told him, "Take a few breaths and clear your mind."
Despite the look of scepticism he followed her instructions while Gideon gently slid her hand into his.
"Your mother is a child of time," Gideon said softly, "You have always felt the connection to it, an intuition when it comes to navigating the waves and eddies of that ocean. Use that, Captain," she slowly moved his hands to rest on the controls, "You know where you are going."
Gideon quickly took a seat as Rip initiated the jump.
Summer sat in the cell she had been led to. She was worried about her son and wished she had told him the truth long ago. There were so many times she almost had but each time she remembered how much danger he would be in if he did know.
She hoped he would forgive her.
"I thought you might like some dinner," Miranda said opening the door to the cell, "We can't have you starve. You are my mother-in-law after all."
Summer remained silent eyes burning, her anger at this woman all encompassing.
"Well I now see where his bad temper comes from," Miranda chuckled, "I must admit I always enjoyed seeing just how far he could be pushed before he would snap. Watching him after he found our bodies, I thought he might."
"What happened to turn you into this?" Summer asked, "What was done to you that you find playing with someone's life fun?"
Miranda laughed at her, "Do you think you're going to make me feel bad, remember the times I thought I loved him and I'll change my allegiances? Rip was nothing more than a mission for the Time Masters. Fun to play with, don't get me wrong, but he means nothing to me."
Summer watched the other woman leave before saying, "You will regret this. I can promise you that."
x
Gideon watched Rip when he landed the Jumpship at the same fuelling station that they had first found Charlatan looking stunned that he had piloted by instinct. This was the first time he had deliberately connected with his heritage. She wondered if he'd known when he touched the time drive to scatter himself it wasn't the potentially suicidal act the team had thought it to be.
"Captain," she said softly, "Are you alright?"
He shook his head, "No."
"I understand," Gideon sympathised, "It has been a hard day for you."
Rip grimaced before he began to pace, "What about you?"
"What about me, Captain?" Gideon asked confused.
"Can I trust you?" he demanded.
Hurt covered her face, "Of course, Captain. We have been a team for over a decade, why would you think otherwise?"
"Well apparently, I'm a terrible judge of character," he snapped at her.
Gideon stood in his path and reached out to touch his cheek, "Oh, my dear Captain. I am so sorry. I know what it is like to be betrayed by someone you love and I promise I would never do that to you."
Rip leaned into her touch for a moment, Gideon had always been there for him and now she was here in the flesh.
"I am your Gideon," she told him, "The same Gideon who has been with you since you became Captain of the Waverider and I will always be at your side"
Rip nodded, "Then let's go."