-1963:-

Rachel felt the familiar lurch of being expelled from Five's time travelling power. She had the presence of mind to bend her knees, landing with only the slightest of stumbles. Trying to shake herself of the adrenaline pulsing through her body, she looked up in time to see the blue portal that spit her out shrink and disappear. Glancing around her, she groaned. She was alone in a side alley. The alley was U-shaped with red brick buildings blocking her in. A dumpster by her had thankfully been emptied that day, though a sharp smell hit her nose when the wind picked up. Out on the street was a movie theater with cars passing between it and the alley way. No Hargreeves in sight. She felt the adrenaline from travel spiking into panic instead of dissipating.

"Shit," she sighed," Come on, old girl, you got this."

She turned around a few times attempting to figure out if she should go toward the street and figure out where and when she was, or investigate the back of the alley and ask someone in one of the buildings if they'd seen boy in shorts and a sweater vest. She breathed in deeply through her nose as she paced, breathing out through her mouth.

"One," she squeezed out moving toward the road.

She whipped around and examined the building behind her.

"Two."

She frowned at the door at the end of the alleyway. It read "Morty's" in red cursive. There was lettering underneath but she was too far to read it. She turned back to the street.

"Three."

She had just turned around again when a dark-haired boy forcefully pushed the door to Morty's open. Relief flooded through Rachel at the sight of a familiar navy-blue blazer and shorts.

"Five!" she shouted, running toward him.

There was just enough time for her to see one of his rare smiles before she launched herself at him. He caught her easily with a chuckle.

"Welcome to 1963," he told her, planting a quick kiss on her neck before setting her down.

She stared up into his blue eyes, her hands touching his chest, shoulders, and then face to make sure he was truly there. As her hands pressed against his cheeks, he leaned down and kissed her. She was surprised at how insistent the kiss was. Five's arms wrapped around her back, pressing her against him. His lips and tongue were relentless, making her mind go blank as feelings overwhelmed her. Relief, love, passion, and worry hit her like a truck. In return, she let her feelings seep into his. She could feel his hands grasp at her shirt, accepting her feelings, her power, like he never had before. After a few minutes, she pulled back to catch her breath. She had to remind herself that there were in 1963 and more people besides the two of them were out of time and place.

"I was worried I was alone…When did you get here?"

Five grimaced at her, reluctantly releasing her. Seemingly unable to part from her completely, his hand slid into hers.

"I have a lot to explain and very little time. Come inside and I'll tell you everything."

Rachel knew him well enough not to ask questions yet and just let him pull her along. As he opened the door to Morty's for her, she could now see the door was for Shipping and Receiving of televisions and radios to the store. The girl was led up a flight of stairs into an apartment. She was taken aback by a skinny man with sunken eyes wearing a brown plaid button down.

"Oh, uh, hello," she greeted as Five closed the door behind them," I'm Rachel."

"E-Elliot," he nodded at her, examining her with some suspicion," Are you…uh…?"

A mischievous grin on Five's face didn't pass her notice as he comfortably moved them past the man.

"My partner. And yeah, she's one, too. Mind making her a sandwich or something?"

"Oh, uh, sure?"

Rachel threw the odd man an awkward smile over her shoulder as Five was practically dragging her along now.

"Five," she spoke in a scolding tone, letting him know she wanted to know what she was "one" of.

He gestured for her to take a seat on the couch in Elliot's living space. The area was a raised floor, as a staircase led down to a bottom floor with a storefront. The area here was cluttered with various things, most fitting the expected technology of the sixties. There was a door leading off to a bedroom from this room. Elliot could be heard clattering away in the kitchen off to their left. From what she could piece together, Five had clearly encroached on this poor man's home and managed to convince him of allowing her partner to use the space as some sort of headquarters. As she sat, Five leaned down to her ear.

"Alien conspiracy theorist."

Rachel glanced around the room, noting points that proved what Five said. Newspaper clippings, equipment, a board following sightings of potential aliens. The girl's eyes stopped on the board. Squinting she noted there were five different sections on it. She looked over as Five sat beside her, his right side pressed up against her. Rachel was becoming concerned as Five was never this inclined to touch her. Years of being lovers meant plenty of touching, but this was bordering on clingy. Something that Five was definitely not.

"Your siblings are here, right?"

"Yes," Five sighed, looking toward the board," They all got here before us. Actually, you got here before me."

Unsure how to respond to that, Rachel just watched him. Five turned to her with a serious expression.

"The end of the world is in ten days. It followed us."

Rachel groaned and leaned back into the couch.

"How?"

"I don't know yet," he said through gritted teeth," But I'm working on getting us all together to stop it. Before you got here, I was able to talk to Diego."

Rachel sat up and looked around the room.

"Where is he?"

Five shrugged at her.

"Still in the nut house."

Her jaw dropped.

"He's in a mental institute?!"

"Truly where he was always meant to be. No, don't protest! I'm kidding, kind of. He has it in his head he can save the president from being assassinated. Until he gets his head on straight, I think its best he stays where he is. I also found where Luther is, and I plan to meet him tonight."

Rachel's head was spinning a little but did her best to separate all the information she was being told.

"Okay, Diego and Luther, got it. Can we go back to how you are here before me if you say you arrived after me? Did you time jump again?"

"Not on my own. Hazel found me just before the nuclear blast destroyed the world. He and Agnes had twenty years together before she died of cancer."

"Oh, no…"

Rachel and Five looked into each other's eyes. She could still feel a bit of worry radiating off of him along with the pity he felt for Hazel and Agnes. His eyes broke contact as he continued while looking at his knees.

"But he came to 1963 with his briefcase to help us save the world. He brought me back to today because that gives us ten days to save the world and because it was the day that you arrived here. He also did that because…well…"

Her eyebrows raised as he paused.

"Because?" she prompted.

"Well…I saw my siblings fighting on the last day, but you weren't there. I asked Hazel where you were and…apparently…you were dead."

Five was now looking at her again. Rachel nodded at him. His clinginess and worry suddenly made sense.

"Let me guess…I couldn't find you…so I…went to find…you. The one before getting back to 2019."

"And got killed by you due to the side effects of being near yourself."

"Homicidal rage…"

"Precisely."

"Probably made worse because both of my selves felt so strongly enraged that we wanted to kill each other even more thanks to my power. Wow, that…sucks."

Five nodded and rubbed her knee.

"At least now that won't need to happen because I'm here and we're going to save the world all together. And do it correctly this time."

The girl did her best to stash that information out of her mind as much as possible while she looked back at the board.

"So, Diego and Luther are accounted for. Do you know where the others are?"

Five sighed as Elliot came over and handed her a ham and cheese sandwich. She thanked him quickly, taking the plate.

"Unfortunately, no. Hopefully, Luther can help pick up the trail. If not…we'll improvise. Oh, and the briefcase from Hazel broke, if you were curious. The commission sent three assassins after us and they killed Hazel when he saved me. There's that to contend with."

That information felt like a punch to the chest. Rachel put her hand on her heart, glad she was in a younger body because her 58-year-old self would have been winded. He had died trying to help them. The man kept proving that he had such a good heart.

"Poor Hazel…And the briefcase is destroyed?"

"Bullet holes went right through it."

Rachel accepted that information and took a bite of her sandwich.

"You always did say they should be bulletproof…" she noted after swallowing.

"Thank you!"

"So, where are you planning on meeting Luther? This sandwich is really good, by the way, Elliot."

The man looked at her sheepishly and gave a nervous smile before backing into the kitchen again. He had been listening in while not the center of attention but, clearly with her eyes on him, he felt awkward.

"Oh, right, it's getting dark so we should head out."

As Five stood, so did Rachel, now taking her sandwich for the road it seemed.

"We need to head out after dark?"

Five grinned at her.

"That is the right time to go to a burlesque bar, after all."

He was thrilled by the shock on her face.

"Luther at a burlesque bar? Seriously? Luther?"