"This isn't my element." Snart called over the comms.

"It's mine." Mick said excitedly.

"Just keep a weather eye open for the Pilgrim. Gideon calculates a 97% chance that she will attack your younger self in this exact time and place."

"Young Rory's not in there." Sara said as she and Jax rushed out of the burning house.

Jax added, "But we found his parents. They're dead."

Ray ended up narrowly catching young Mick in the fields just before the pilgrim could get to him. We quickly returned to the ship with young Mick in tow.

I stayed to the side waiting for my chance to swap into the sparring with Sara and Kendra. "You two seem calm," Kendra noted.

Sara paused in swinging her bo staff, "What, you mean considering a temporal bounty hunter is trying to murder our younger selves?"

"I was gonna put it a little more delicately than that, but yeah."

I hummed, "at some point you get used to living with the unexplainable."

Sara twirled her staff around preparing to strike, "I think at some point, you just learn to live with a sword over your head. Either you're getting better or I'm getting lazy," she said as Kendra blocked her swing with ease.

"I happen to think it's you getting lazy," I told Sara as I swapped in for Kendra.

Sara laughed between swings, "So it seems like you decided to ignore the advice from Old West you about not being with Ray."

"Ooh," I gasped, "what advice?"

"Ignoring her advice about Ray was your advice, remember?" Kendra said as she took a breath.

"Don't listen to my advice," Sara said offhandedly, "So did you tell him what she said?"

"Oh, sure. 'Hey, Ray, by the way, the woman I met in 1871 was me. And she told me our love was doomed to fail because you're not Carter.'"

"Ooh, fatalist advice," I said as I managed to get past Sara's guard and whacked her with my staff, "you're definitely getting lazy."

Sara narrowed her eyes at me, "So that was a no?"

"Look, Ray and I are happy together. We should be able to enjoy that before I have to drop the whole doomed-love-affair thing on his head."

"Yeah, I mean, who wants a relationship based on honesty and communication? Ugh," Sara joked as we stopped sparring. I smiled at the easy camaraderie that fostered bonds within our pack.

"Believe me. A relationship based on an ancient Egyptian curse doesn't work much better." Kendra said before we restarted a three way spar.

Sara and Mick retrieved young Sara from Star City where the Pilgrim was attacking her. Sara joined us on the bridge, "I put her in the cargo bay with mini you, told them both to stay put. The less they know what's going on, the better."

"You sure you want to leave daddy's little girl with that punk?" Mick asked without looking up from whatever he was fiddling with.

Sara scoffed at him, "Even before the League of Assassins, I knew how to handle guys like you."

Jax walked towards the console, "Has Gideon figured out the Pilgrim's next target yet?"

"That's peculiar," Rip said, can't be good.

Kendra took the words right out of my head, "Peculiar or bad?"

"Gideon, run another scan for the whereabouts of the Pilgrim."

I'm sorry, sir. The timeline shows no temporal distortions. I seem to be unable to track the Pilgrim.

"That doesn't sound good," Ray said looking down at the console.

"No, it's quite the opposite," Rip said worriedly.

I moved forwards leaning into Ray, I asked, "So what does that mean?"

"Without a way to track the whereabouts of the Pilgrim, she could target any one of you at any point in time," Rip said ominously.

"Gideon was tracking the Pilgrim's temporal wake. I didn't think it was possible to conceal one's movements through time," Stein spoke passionately.

"Well, it is if the Time Masters are on your side."

"How does this all work? If she can travel to any place at any time, she could be killing any of us right now." Ray spoke up from where we had moved to stand closer to Kendra.

"And if we die in the past…" Stein trailed off inquiringly.

"We die in the present," Rip finished.

"Wow. So interesting. How long does it take for what happens in the past to affect the present?" Ray started on his science brain inquiries, "Could I be dead right now and not know it? Maybe I am dead right now. Hello? Can anybody hear me?" I laughed nudging him with my hip as Kendra looked at him amused.

"No," Snart spoke, ending Ray's science train.

"Look, the important thing is not to panic."

"Somebody's playing Russian roulette with our younger selves. Why would we panic?" Jax stressed.

"Well, there are a few exceptions. Kendra's ability to reincarnate means that it would do the Pilgrim no good to target her. Chloe was important to the timeline until about two years ago, and though the time masters are always hesitant about killing omegas because of how important they are to the natural order of humanity. That does not exempt her from the Pilgrim's mission parameters. And as a former Time Master, to remove me from history would be quite dangerous to the timeline."

"Well, that's convenient," Snart spoke as he looked away from Rip.

Rip turned to him, "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing." Snart started, "It just occurs to me you've never told us about your past, Rip. And I don't trust a man with secrets."

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

"Like I said, convenient."

"Are they fighting?" Sara spoke suddenly from where she was looking at one of the side monitors.

"This is not a fight. It's merely an exchange of ideas" Rip defended his tiff with Snart.

Sara spoke louder, "No, not you. Them."

"Ah ha!" Mick laughed as we watched young Sara slap his younger self. Sara looked dismayed as she left to go deal with the kids.

"What the Pilgrim did, the way she turned our attacks back on us, it was as if she was reversing time," Stein spoke amazed as he, Jax and Rip stepped onto the bridge.

Rip quickly explained, "It's called temporal micro-manipulation. The ability to control time in one's immediate vicinity. We are lucky to have saved Dr. Palmer."

Sara walked up to the console from behind Rip, "So basically we have no idea who she's going after next."

"We know it's not Rip, because he doesn't have a past to go back to." Snart said tartly.

"Gideon, prepare for multiple time jumps. Plot points here, here, here and here." Rip said putting in four dates, June 2, 1972, March 16, 1950, September 12, 1993, and June 8, 2013.

"My birthday? Why are we…" Jax asked confused.

Rip started to answer before trailing off once Stein had figured it out, "The only way to ensure you're not harmed in your past…"

"Is to abduct ourselves as newborns, thus removing ourselves from our future timelines. It's brilliant," Stein said, finishing Rip's explanation.

"It's morally questionable," Snart drawled from behind us.

Mick butted in moving to join us around the console, "It's suicidal. If we take too long in getting them home…"

Rip went on, "Then history is altered. There won't be a home to go back to. You'll disappear from the minds of everyone who's ever known you."

"You mean, my own mom won't even know me?" Jax asked.

Stein added sadly, "My wife."

"Yeah, and my... oh, yeah. I don't have anyone," Mick spoke harshly before walking away.

"Sure as hell beats dying."

"We've got Mr. Snart's younger self. Next stop is you, Professor, and you, Mr. Jackson. And then Miss Kane you are an entirely more complicated matter."

"How strange to imagine, holding one's infant self," Stein spoke in as usual amazement, as Rip went to walk out.

Rip paused at Stein's words, "Actually, none of you should participate in your own abductions. Let's call it paradox prevention."

I snorted, "Yeah you're going to need my help to kidnap a younger me." I walked out with Rip to figure out the logistics of kidnapping me.

"June 8th, 2013, sixteen year old me is leaving Gotham. Don't underestimate me."

"Can't be that hard to kidnap a sixteen year old."

"You didn't know me at sixteen, I had already had extensive combat training as well as magical training. Making a sixteen year old me an extremely powerful, lethal, and angry person that's just itching for a fight."

"So how are we going to get younger you?"

"You're going to need to be very fast."

I laughed at how disgruntled Mick, Snart and Sara looked after managing to grab younger me. "I told you not to underestimate me."

"We're here," Rip said after we jumped to a destination that was unknown to us.

Snart was the first to speak, "Where is here?"

"Come, I'll show you," Rip said simply. I could feel something, it was a strange feeling emanating from the pack bonds, it must have something to do with double versions of us around.

"Again, where is here?" Snart asked as we walked next to an older style cottage.

Rip explained, "We need a safe harbor to keep your younger selves."

The door to the cottage opened and an older omega in blue walked out, "I've been waiting. It's good to see you," she said to Rip as she adjusted his clothes.

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

"So, this is where Rip plans on keeping our baby selves."

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

Ray surprisingly spoke, "When's the last thing anything went according to plan?"

"I don't think there was a last time," I laughed as Kendra spoke.

Rip turned to us, "I really would sit up if I were you," He said to Jax. "She'll kill you if she catches you slouching. Don't be fooled by appearances. That woman is as tough as nails."

"Funny how you never mentioned having a mother." Snart spoke from his seat on the window sill.

"Everyone has a mother," I said as I leaned into Kendra.

"Adoptive mother. Now, can I interest any of you in some more tea?" The older omega said firmly as she walked back into the sitting area we were in.

"Thank you," Stein said respectfully as he accepted her offer.

"So, Michael…" She spoke again.

Kendra spoke up laughing in amusement, "Michael?"

"That's me. My birth name." Rip explained.

"The Time Masters insist on the adoption of new identities for their protection." Rip's mother explained the second name.

Jax asked her, "How do you know so much about the Time Masters?"

"I work for them. Oh, don't worry. My true loyalty is to my children." She said as she looked at Rip with the eyes of a proud mother.

"Thank you. The Time Masters fill their ranks with children, orphans pulled from throughout the course of history"

"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."

"Thank you for your assistance." Stein spoke for us all.

Snart addressed Rip's mother, "Look, I know I make a gorgeous baby, but I should warn you. You've got your hands full with me."

"Yeah, I'm gonna be problematic too. I'm in a very angry teenage space,"

"I assure you, you're not the first tough cases to arrive at my door," Mother said as she turned to look pointedly at Rip.

Rip called for us over the ship intercom, "Everyone please report to the main deck immediately."

"What's going on?" Sara said as she entered last.

"Gideon has intercepted a trans-chronal beacon. Gideon, show them."

The Pilgrim appeared on the screen, "This message is for Rip Hunter. I'm going to make this very quick and very simple. If I can't find you, I can find those you love," she said as pictures of people in our lives started flashing across the screen: Snart's sister, Sara's dad, Ray's ex-fiance, my sister Mary, and Jax's father. "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."

"So she can erase you all from history," Rip muttered.

"If it's of any comfort, you won't feel a thing. As for your loved ones, I cannot promise the same thing."

We were all disturbed after the message played through, "Gideon, I take it that the Pilgrim's transmission included a carrier frequency through which she can be contacted?"

Yes, Captain.

"Hail her, please."

"What are you planning to do?" Stein asked suspiciously.

Pilgrim answered quickly, "Captain Hunter."

"Look, I'm gonna make this easy."

"I already have. The lives of your team's nearest and dearest for their younger selves."

"And I'm gonna counter that demand with an offer of my own. I will surrender myself if you spare the lives of my crew and their loved ones."

"A noble gesture. But worthless. My directive is to eliminate your entire team, not just you."

"Yes, well, I'm not talking about me now. I'm offering you me in the past. Rip Hunter before he became a Time Master. Eliminate him, and this team will never have been."

"If this is some kind of trick... It's no trick. Enough people have died at my expense. Gideon will send you the location." Rip said as he ended the call to the Pilgrim. "And, Mr. Snart, your wish is about to come true. You're going to meet my younger self."

We arrived at some defunct complex, with a plan that had some huge holes in it. We all moved into position anyway hoping that this would actually work.

"Remember, we wait for Ray's cue." Sara told Snart and I for the fifth time.

"I'm in position," We finally heard from Ray. We launched ourselves out of our hiding spots moving to attack her from all directions. One by one she started to freeze us.

Suddenly her abilities stopped working, "Thought you could snuff me out? You don't know me at all, miss," said mini Rip. Sara pulled him to the side as our attacks finally hit her all at once combining they disintegrated her leaving nothing but ash.

"That's you," Mick said looking at Rip as mother led his younger self away.

"Yeah. I was a cutpurse from the age of five. Starved more than I ate. I knew what I'd do if she tried to harm me."

"Lucky for us, you didn't forget your roots."

"Believe me, Mr. Snart, I've tried."

"Ugh. Just pulled younger me's head from out of his ass." said as he walked onto the bridge.

"I'm not sure it stuck," Ray said jokingly.

"Me either. Then I saw younger Rip change, and I thought, why not give it a shot?" Mick said as he moved to stand by the console, I sat next to Snart and leaned slightly into him slowly letting him adjust to my closeness as I released relaxing pheromones.

Stein spoke to Sara, "Surprised you didn't advise your teenage self to not get on a certain boat."

"Yeah, me too."

Snart got fed up with the mushiness, but didn't move away from me, "Yak, yak, yak. I thought we were on a clock here."

We all went silent as Rip spoke, "Indeed we are. Time, the history from which your younger selves were removed, is beginning to set... as is evidenced by the change in Clarissa's memory."

"Okay. So how long do we have till these changes stick," Jax asked.

Mick was the one to answer, "No one knows."

"Which is why we need to move swiftly to locate Vandal Savage if any of your lives are to be restored to normal."

Kendra spoke, "So how long will it take to determine a new location for Savage?"

"Longer than we have. Fortunately, there is one place in time that we know Savage to be."

"You said he conquered the world in 2166." Mick said.

"You also said it was too dangerous to strike at Savage while he was at the height of his powers," Stein added.

"That it is. But with your younger selves removed from history, we have quite literally run out of time."