Phil watched Gideon move slowly to the man standing there.

"Captain Hunter?" she breathed.

A smile touched his lips, "Hello, Gideon."

Without another word she crossed the space between them and had her arms around him tightly as he hugged her back. Phil felt a spike of jealousy at the hug as he turned away to give them a moment together. Turning back Phil saw Gideon still holding on to the other version of him, but it was understandable because this was Gideon's Captain. The one she'd missed.

"It's nice to meet you, Phil. I'm Rip," he introduced himself.

"I don't understand how this is possible," Gideon noted, "How are you and Mr Gasmer still separate if you're awake, Rip?"

"Because we're different people," Rip replied.

Gideon frowned at him, "That is not possible."

Rip grimaced, "Afraid it is. When I touched the Time Drive, it sent me back in time and created a new personality so I would be camouflaged."

"I already know that, Captain," Gideon stated testily.

Rip pointed at Phil, "There he is. Phil is a real person now. Unfortunately, we're sharing a body."

Phil stared at him, "How long have you been awake?"

Rip shrugged, "I'd say about two or three hours, I've felt fully conscious. I've been in and out for a while before that."

"Have you been able to take control of the body you share?" Gideon asked thoughtfully.

"No," Rip replied, "I have tried a few times today, but it was only recently Phil heard me speak."

"Because I was learning about the ship," Phil realised.

Gideon frowned, "What do you mean?"

"Because I was learning about the ship," Phil repeated turning to Rip, "Meant I was open to hearing you."

Rip nodded, "That makes sense."

"What do we do?" Gideon asked, "Because you cannot both continue to exist like this."

Rip sighed, "I don't know."

x

Gideon was ecstatic that her Captain was here and awake, but this presented another problem. One that could be impossible to solve.

Phil was looking worried while Rip just looked frustrated.

They used to be one person, but they were definitely different people now and it wasn't fair for one to be sacrificed for the other.

Rip was her Captain, she had cared for him for a long time and would always protect him no matter what. However, Phil was a wonderful creative man who, now he was comfortable within the Waverider, had become a part of her as well.

"We will work this out," Gideon told the two men, "And find a way to separate you while keeping both of you safe."

Rip reached out and cupped her cheek, "My Gideon. I knew I could trust you to fix this and keep us safe."

She leaned into his hand before reaching out and taking Phil's, "From now on, the three of us work together as a team. You are both brilliant, so I need you to work together when awake to sort through this."

Rip and Phil looked at each other before shrugging.

"It's not like we have much of a choice," Phil said.

Gideon smiled at him before promising, "We'll think of something. I promise."