The next morning, Spooner is the last to wake up. She spotted Astra, still wearing her pajamas, about to enter the pocket dimension. She is holding her toothbrush, a towel, and a set of clothes in one arm. (The ship's bathroom is occupied by Zari.) Spooner asked her if she is feeling better. Astra replied that, for the time being, she's fine. Following this, she turns her key and proceeded inside. Spooner came into her quarters and changed into a shirt and pants. She then conducts an inventory check in the cargo bay. Moments later, a clean and dressed Zari leans against the doorway. "Morning."
She turns to see her friend and gives her a smirk. "Hey."
"Did you sleep well?"
"Yeah, how about you?"
"To be honest, I slept fine, until my radar went off."
"While we were sleeping?" Spooner nods her head. Zari moves from the doorway to the chair. "Was it Astra?"
"That was my first guess, but it wasn't." She stands near her. "Astra is lowkey hurt and pissed over Behrad. I felt... sadness and guilt."
Zari recollects her observations from the sleepover. She disclosed, "Y'know, I saw Gidget... looking pretty morbid during karaoke last night."
"Morbid how?"
"Like she saw someone die. When I checked on her, she said she's fine." Spooner ponders on this for a minute. Zari changes the subject, asking, "Oh, I almost forgot. What do you want to do today?"
"Well, I'm thinking of telling Astra and Gideon about my asexuality."
Surprised by this admission, Zari stated, "I was referring to your choice of activity."
"Huh," Spooner questioned with a puzzled expression.
"Our vacation time. I listed us in order: me first, then you, Astra, and Gidget. Since yesterday was my turn, today is yours."
"Oh, I haven't made up my mind on that."
"That's okay. You let me know when you do." She places her hand on Spooner's shoulder. "As for your asexuality, I'll support any decision you make."
She smiles at her friend and places her hand on top, touched by her unchanged encouragement. "Thanks for that… and for the rule you made for "Never Have I Ever". I know you did it for my sake. I'd appreciate that."
"It's cool." Zari added with a reciprocated smile, "The last thing I want is to make matters awkward for you."
As they were conversing, they did not notice Astra walking in. Dressed in her day clothes, she did not look jealous of this interaction. If anything, she does feel out of the loop. She eventually speaks up. "Am I interrupting something?"
Zari and Spooner both almost jump out of their skins. "Hey, girl," the former abruptly declared. If the tension-filled silence was not making matters cringeworthy, then that probably did.
"What's up," the latter uttered.
"I was about to head to the Galley for breakfast," Astra replied. "Have you eaten yet?"
"No," they answered in unison.
"Okay, I suppose Gideon hasn't eaten as well. Let's find her and we'll have breakfast together." The three of them search for Gideon. They went to the parlor, but she wasn't there. She wasn't in her quarters or the bridge, either. Lastly, they arrive at the library; still wearing her nightgown, Gideon is awkwardly posing on the desk, holding a modern Polaroid camera. As she sees her companions giving her peculiar looks at the door, she sheepishly climbs down, saying, "Greetings, everyone."
"Good morning, Gidget," Zari responded.
"Um... Gideon, what are you doing," Astra inquired. "And where did you get that camera?"
She bluntly replied, "I was trying to take a titillating picture for Gary. In fact, he gave me this camera as a present." Zari and Spooner winced a little bit. They glance at Astra, who's smiling to the point of grinding her teeth. Although she can bear with Gary on a daily basis, she must stomach knowing he is romancing her daughter.
Observing that Gideon needs help, Zari pushes her reservations about Gary aside. "Gidget, how about we help you with this?" Astra and Spooner stared at her in disbelief, but they oblige too.
"You would help me?"
"Well, it's the least we can do. Tell us how you want this done," Spooner asserted.
"Thanks, but do you mind if we eat first," Gideon implored.
"Yes, please," Astra proclaimed with ease. So, they went to the Galley and dining room and had breakfast: Belgian waffles with maple syrup. Subsequently, they return to the library. Zari fetched her makeup kit and applied some nude eyeshadow, eyeliner, and scarlet lipstick on Gideon. Astra, though unenthusiastically, aided in showcasing two seductive postures: one has Gideon lying across the desk with her hand propping her head up and one has her "reading" a book in the chair while lightly biting on the tip of a pen. As for Spooner, she captures the pictures, which are printed out instantly. Satisfied with the outcomes, Gideon places both of them into a white envelope.
Zari admitted, "I missed giving makeovers. This was fun."
"Yeah," Astra concurred, "I guess it was. What do you think, Spooner?"
Spooner described, "Personally, there's one type of shot I'd favor. Speaking of which, do any of you know a good outdoor shooting range? Because I know what we're doing today."
Sometime later, the Waverider time-jumped to the year 2002 in Longview, Alberta, Canada. Gideon, who's wearing a short-sleeved shirt and jeans, lands the ship near the base of the Rocky Mountains. Spooner assigns a rifle, firearm, or handgun to herself and each of them. "What are we shooting exactly," Gideon curiously interrogated as she grasps a break action firearm. Taking her cue, Astra finds four target practice sheets from the cargo bay. She lays them on the ground and conjures them into mobile, faceless, and shadowy figures. They rapidly sprint in alternative directions. "The sheets should remain here until we hit all of them," she told them.
"All right, we have to catch them until the sun hits that peak," Spooner instructed, pointing to the direction of the highest point of the range.
"How do I use this exactly," Zari asked, holding her handgun, a Smith & Wesson Model 36, as if she picks up a smelly sock. Spooner walks towards her with her Colt Navy Revolver gun. Zari observes as her more experienced friend demonstrates the proper stance for her. She masters this by immediately copying it.
"Catch your target off-guard first before you pull the trigger," Spooner warned her.
Astra was already in pursuit of her target. With a Lever Action rifle in tow, she spots it at a ravine. She was about to take her shot, only for a stray bullet to come flying past her head. It hits right at the bull's eye; the shadowy figure dissolves into the air. Astra turns around and sees Gideon with her break action firearm. "Wow, that's a perfect shot," she said with a shocked expression.
"Well, I've witnessed Spooner's excellent marksmanship for less than a year," her daughter stated. She walks up to her. "I want to ask you something."
"What is it?"
"That song you sung at the sleepover... was it about your recent conflict with Behrad?"
Hearing that question irks Astra that she starts walking off. Gideon follows after her. "Does everyone know that?"
"Not in full detail. Also, you were very cold towards him."
"I wasn't trying to be cold. It's just that..." She sighs for a moment and frustratedly continues, "We've been together for a month now, and I really like him so much. However, he told his and Zari's parents about us and my family without even asking me first. We agreed on taking our relationship slow. On the contrary, I got totally blindsided. We had this fight and I told him that we need to take a break. Yet, here I am on this so-called vacation, thinking about his annoyingly adorable face." Astra turns to Gideon, who is inwardly filtering all that information. "I know it's a lot to take in. The worst part about this is that he has been gone for almost two days and I miss him like mad."
"It's not bad that you feel this way," Gideon affirmed in an unassuming tone. "I'd speculate he is missing you as we speak. While I can't provide you substantial evidence, I'm certain of this." At that point, they observe another aim levitating close to the trees. Gideon whispered in her ear, "If it's any consolation, I miss Gary, especially his cuddles."
Astra didn't want to know if said cuddles are associated with her daughter's intimate moments with Gary because she doesn't want the explicit details. Instead, she glances at her and softly questions, "Was that why you've sung that song you chose?"
"Yes, mostly. Ready to take the shot?" Gideon gestures to the flowing object. Astra calmly takes a breath, seizes her aim, and fires. The bullet strikes inches away from its shoulder. The ghost-like character flees with her and Gideon in pursuit. She fires again, hitting closer to the core. They watch as the figure vanishes immediately. "Now, we each got one."
"Yeah." Two distinct firing shots are heard in the distance. "We should meet up with Zari and Spooner. The sun is reaching that peak." They travel back to the ship on foot.
Gideon randomly inquires, "Were you thinking of Behrad when you discharged the second bullet?"
Astra didn't glance at her at that time. She simply responded, "I was." However, that was not the only thought she had in her mind. She has been musing this prolonged consideration. Up to now, she was merely searching for the right words: What's the deal between Zari and Spooner?
Once they all reconvenedoutside the Waverider, they checked the sheets to confirm if all targets have returned. (They did.) At the same time, they compared shots. Gideon retrieved her camera from the ship to take a picture of the sunset. Then, she said, "Let's get a picture of us here since we didn't at the sleepover." They all agreed to it and, with a little help from Astra's magic, had their first group photo at the bottom of the mountain. Following that, they board the ship and depart Longview without unwanted attention.