Gary was dubious whether her loaded question was rhetorical. No matter what the case was, he had an answer. It pertained to a caustic story he'd wished to forget. He knew saying yes alone was not going to suffice for her anyway. He tentatively relented, "D-do you remember that demon who possessed Ray's body?"

She glanced over her shoulder and huffily inquired, "Neron?"

"Yeah," he uneasily replied. "If you don't remember, I lost my right nipple to—"

"The unicorn in Woodstock? Yes."

"And you know how I got a spare." She noted this as she rested her head on her hand. He adjusted himself prior to telling her. "Evidently, a lot was happening after that. The Time Bureau hunted down magical creatures at Mr. Heywood's command, which prompted Director Sharpe and Captain Lance's second breakup. In addition, John brushed me off and lodged at the Waverider. Meanwhile, I plant-sat for him and read the books he didn't pack." Gideon rolled her eyes at the mention of his ex's name. She cared about the warlock's opportunism like she did his smoking habit. "A few weeks after rescuing Director Sharpe from Purgatory, I heard a distress call from the ship to the Bureau. It was Ray; he was fighting Neron, who literally had his hand. I locked myself in the containment cell to avoid getting stabbed. Neron needed Ray to kill someone he cared about to have full control." Gary swallowed a lump in his throat in advance of the impending memories. "Instead, Ray surrendered himself on the condition that Nate's life was spared. He admitted I was an acquaintance of his. John found out what happened and requested me to get his censer to perform an exorcism. I couldn't move; I was reeling when Neron offered me my misplaced nipple back. I missed it so much; I didn't even care it was cursed." He rubbed his right pectoral muscle with a melancholic smile. "John called me a 'bloody fool' and kept ordering his censer. That pushed me to my lowest point. I had been rebuked, bullied, and unappreciated for years. I was fed up with being a doormat. So, I accepted Neron's deal and worked as his mole at the Bureau. Ava, Mona, and Nora caught me red-handed, but I escaped arrest with Tabitha and Neron. The rest, as they say, was history."

Gideon could surmise that Gary would be intentionally in league with the enemy. She had been passive to a select few harsh instances on the original timeship. His sudden fit of anger at the Legends truly unnerved her at the time. She sat upright, prodding, "What made you change loyalties again?"

"I might've renounced my job, but I hadn't gone thoroughly rogue." He quipped, "At least we have to sulk about that in the distant future, right?" She balked at his unobtrusive comment.

"Not you," she snarked, huddling her legs to her chest. His comfortable mood subsided to her tightened glare. She submitted into resignation. "In the wake of your 'leave', AI Gideon indoctrinated that visiting the Legends during retirement would've validated my emotions to disempower me. She thought redirecting my energy on the algorithm might restore my usefulness. I was, in retrospect, demoted as being her stony-faced, unwitting instrument. It might be also noted that the calumniating imposter had personalized an android body of myself without my prerogative."

Gary was unsettled with the thought of three Evil Gideons. He precedingly disliked one for twisting the young woman around her little cyber-finger and conditioning her into another heartless drone. "I guess she had a motive for it."

"She was a slippery bighead." Her ebbing composure plummeted. "It was unbearable seeing everyone's aversion. I deserved it; I backstabbed my own family and contributed to Gwyn's demise. AI Gideon proposed to wire my OS into the humanoid. Although I would lose my memories in the process, I wanted to stop my torment. I conceded to my self-destruction." This unpleasant detail startled her misty-eyed boyfriend. "Astra and Spooner's arrival changed my mind. Suppose AI Gideon was correct when she called me an abomination. If I'm liable to be a dastard, how can I entrust myself in a conjugal bond?"

This gave Gary an eye-opener into her query to the interrogation concerning their relationship. "People can bring out the best or the worst, but you choose who you want to be." He muttered something into her ear. "My girlfriend is a delightfully and beautifully imperfect AI with a mean wit." Heeding those words of encouragement, the sensible woman gave vent to her consternation. She wheezily shed bitter tears. He retrieved some Kleenex from the bathroom. She blew her nose in a tissue. "Have you spoken to Astra or Spooner about this?"

She groaned, "Between prison, the aftermath, and working under new management, there's hardly a good time for a conversation."

"Have they asked you at all?"

"I couldn't... I don't know how to touch on a plight they have effortlessly forgotten. I can verbalize it with you because you don't keep things at arm's length."

"That doesn't mean they won't understand."

"I'm more bugged that I can't move past it."

He lifted her ivory face up and held her downcast eyes. "You don't have to keep a lid on it. We can sign up for therapy or find you a 'Gary Jr. II'. You aren't alone anymore. You have the whole team and me." The absolute confidence he had in her shone brightly in his gaze. It riveted her that its tenacity was hardly diluted. "We will get through it."

She was growingly emboldened. "Thank you. For the record, the thrill of being a villain is highly overrated." He smirked in agreement. "It's past midnight."

"Yeah, we should get some sleep." He gave her a gentle peck on the forehead. "Good night, milady."

"Good night, darling." She turned the lamp off. They fell asleep untroubledly, facing each other and pressing their thumbs.

Their relationship wasn't the same again. They vacated the rental cabin after a tense-free breakfast. Gary hauled the last piece of baggage into the jumpship. While he fastened himself in his seat, Gideon was smirking next to him. "What?"

"When you were initially spying on the Legends in 1870 Wisconsin, you used to be shoddy under pressure."

He stated, feigning offense, "Ouch."

"I'd deduced Captain Sharpe was hard-nosed on her vendetta when she sent you. At the same time, Captain Lance did have you at gunpoint. Over the recent past years, you have potential to be a seasonable mole." He racked his brain at this. She plainly raised, "Was admitting your implication with Neron dreadful?"

He unpretentiously eyed her and consented. "It wasn't one of my finest moments, though it does feel good owning up to it."

"I'm glad that you were brave enough to tell me. It was wrong for you to be unfairly treated. I know I had a role in it as well." He imparted that he harbored no grudge against her with a slight smile. "We should ruminate on counseling for both of us if required. By the way, it was sweet that you attempted to reactivate me when the Fates disseized the ship."

"You're important to the team," he simply indicated.

"So are you, even though it's rarely said." Gary's smile widened several inches. Earning steadfast admiration was an inherent challenge for him. Without opposition, he liked how fortifying it made him feel. She geared the jumpship up for departure. "Ready to go home?" He was currently distracted.

He was reconsidering the photos he acquired in the study room, the only physical mementos of their trip except Gideon's leaf. "Um, where's your camera?"

"In my bag. Why?" He entreated her to reclaim it, which she did. He unshackled himself and escorted her to the tree they saw the day they arrived in Colorado. They recognized the branch with a visible gap. "What are we doing here?"

"With everything that happened, we haven't taken a photo of us together," he explained. "I figured we couldn't leave without doing so."

"I didn't notice," she verified, appending her camera. "Let's do two, so we can each have a copy." They snapped two pictures: one was a low angle shot, and the other was eye-level. They impocketed either of them in their coats.

As they reentered the small aircraft, he confided, "This has been a nifty romantic trip."

"It couldn't have gotten better," she acquiesced. They returned to their seats. She turned on the engine. "There was a message in the gooseberry pie."

"The writing must've been very small," he joked. She couldn't resist letting out a short laugh. "What did it say?"

She was intently looking at him. Behrad was right; the earnest truth was bound to come out. "Darling, you're imperfectly perfect for me. I love you, Gary Green."

The lanky man was floored by those consistently evasive words. He already distinguished how profound her fondness for him was. Despite this fact, his brilliant grin refused to be dull. He whispered, "I love you too." The beaming airwoman grabbed his whiskerless face and ardently kissed him. He reciprocated as his eyelids closed. They flew home, heading to their next adventure together.