The Other Palmer-Leonard Snart/Sara Lance/Zari Tomaz

Younger selves and retaliations...

Rip, Mick, and myself drove out to where Stein's mother was giving birth. We saw Stein's father take baby Stein in his arms and we got out of our car.

"What do you think about Jeremy as a name?" Mr. Stein asked his wife.

"Ah, I think he looks more like a Martin." Rip commented from behind the man.

"You guys asked for a doctor, right?" Mick asked them.

"Yeah, how would we?" The man questioned.

"He means that we were on our way to the hospital and we saw your automobile." I corrected Mick.

"Yeah, this little munchkin needs a checkup." Mick took baby Stein from his father's arms. "Prenatal care. It's very important."

"He means post natal." Rip corrected before we both turned around, following Mick back to the car. "We'll take him straight to the hospital. We'll meet you there."

"What about my wife?" I heard him call from the car.

XXX

"We're here." Rip said as the waverider touched down in an unknown location.

"Where is here?" I asked him.

"Come, I'll show you."

XXX

"Again, where is here?" Lenny repeated my question as we walked around the front of a beautiful house.

"We need a safe harbour to keep your younger selves." Rip explained. We made our way to the front door where we were greeted by an older woman.

"I've been waiting." Was her greeting to Rip. "It's good to see you." She lightly tugged at his arm affectionately. While this interaction was happening, the rest of us exchanged weird looks, having no clue what was going on. I removed my head from Lenny's chest and he wrapped his arm around my neck, keeping me as close as possible to him.

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

XXX

"Don't forget to take your boots off before you come back in!" Rip's mother yelled at the children who were on their way to frolic outside. A young boy tried to take a cookie from the plate next to her, but she stopped him. "Oi! Off you go." She pushed him outside with the rest of the kids.

"So this is where Rip plans on keeping our younger baby selves?' Jax asked aloud.

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

"When's the last time anything ever went according to plan?" I pointed out to the rest of the group from, as usual, Lenny's arms.

"I don't think there was a last time." Kendra answered my question.

"I really would sit up if I were you." Rip recommended. "She'll kill you if she catches you slouching." We all chuckled at his fear of the woman. "Don't be fooled by appearances. That woman is as tough as nails."

"Funny how you never mentioned having a mother." Lenny said coldly.

"Adoptive mother." The woman corrected him. "Now, can I interest any of you in some more tea?" She asked sweetly. Tough as nails my ass.

"Thank you." Stein as the woman refilled his cup.

"So, Michael-"

"Michael?" Kendra asked Rip, confused and shocked.

"That's me." He clarified. "My birth name."

"The time masters insist on the adoption of new identities for their protection."

"How do you know so much about the time masters?" Jax asked her.

"I work for them." She said simply. Everyone exchanged glances with one another as my back stiffened. "Oh, don't worry." She reassured us. "My true loyalty is to my children." She turned to Rip and refilled his cup.

"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 it exists in a secret location in history." She said solemnly. "The time masters will never think to look for you here."

"Thank you for your assistance." Stein thanked the woman again.

"Look, I know I make a gorgeous baby, but I should warn you," Lenny said to the woman. "You've got your hands full with me."

"Same with me. Teenage me didn't give a shit." I added.

"I assure you, you're not the first tough cases to arrive at my door." She gave Rip a suggestive glance.

XXX

After we had gotten back on the waverider, our younger selves with Rip's mother, we were all gathered on the bridge. I removed myself from Lenny's lap and stood over the computer, as we had just been contacted by the Pilgrim.

"What's going on?" Sara asked, the last one to walk onto the bridge.

"Gideon has intercepted a trans-chronal beacon." Rip explained to her. "Gideon, show them."

"This message is for Rip Hunter." The Pilgrim appeared on the computer. "I'm going to make this very quick and very simple." Lisa Snart appeared on the screen. Lenny's back tensed up. "If I can't find you," Quentin Lance. "I can find those you love." Clarissa Stein. Anna Lorring. Anna.

"Anna?" Ray breathed out, clearly confused. Then, Jason. My Jason.

"Jason?" I managed to choke out, Lenny shooting me a confused expression. The Pilgrim was back on the screen and dragged Jax's father into the frame.

"Dad!" Jax yelled out.

"All of them will suffer and die because of you. Your family, your friends, anyone you've ever cared about. Unless you surrender your younger selves to me."

"So she can erase you all from history." Rip stated the obvious.

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

XXX

The bridge was silent. Everyone was terrified. But not for themselves, but for their loved ones. Myself included. I couldn't lose Jason again. That night, the night of the Starling City Siege, Ray and I were together. He had Anna with him and I had Jason. We had lost them both that night and it was horrible. It really was horrible for both of us. If we didn't have each other, we probably would have died.

"Gideon, I take it that the Pilgrim's transmission included a carrier frequency through which she can be contacted?" Rip broke the silence.

"Yes, Captain."

"Hail her, please."

"What are you planning, Rip?" I asked the man, and for the first time in a while, I wasn't in Lenny's arms. Or next to him. I was pretty much avoiding him.

"Captain Hunter." The Pilgrim greeted him.

"Look, I'm going to make this easy."

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

"And I'm going to 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 me in the past. Rip Hunter before he became a time master. Eliminate him, and this team will have never been."

"If this is some kind of trick-"

"It's not a trick. Enough people have died at my expense. Gideon will send you the location." The video call ended and Rip turned to Lenny. "And, Mr. Snart, your wish is about to come true. You're going to meet my younger self."