"You know what I've always wanted to try?" Ray's voice carried into the living room, a wide smile on his face as Kendra popped her head around the kitchen beam, an unsure look in her wide eyes. "Those TV dinners my parents used to ramble about."

Kendra's chuckle validated his claim, sending a spurt of happiness up into his chest, his smile growing wider.

"I'm serious," He continued, "My parents used to rave about how great it was to just have everything ready-made for you. It was ridiculous."

Kendra didn't seem to buy it but she shrugged along with him, "Alright, I guess tonight is TV dinner night." She grabbed her coat and pecked his cheek, red moving across his face as he watched her retreating figure.

Ray went back to unpacking the dishes and silverware Gideon had fabricated for them, curious as to what was keeping Alex up in her room. He would've suspected that she would've finished unpacking a while ago.

Carefully deconstructing the cardboard box and placing it with the pile in the storage closet, Ray made his way upstairs, training his ear for any sign of her light footsteps or her airy breathing. He got none of that.

Rounding the corner, he saw that nothing had been unpacked from the initial boxes. In fact, they looked like they hadn't been touched since that morning.

And Alex was nowhere to be seen.

Ray's chest began to constrict at the thoughts that ran through his head. She had abandoned them. She had taken her chance to head home and left them to deal with Savage alone.

Ray should've known better. He should've known what to expect after Felicity.

No matter what he said, Alex would always choose her home over a few people she barely knew.

He had no impact. His words meant nothing to people.

They mean something to Kendra, his brain reminded him. That's why you like her.

He smiled fondly at that thought, recalling his initial encounters with the demigoddess. He almost found himself wishing that it was her he had saved all those weeks ago instead of Alex.

Ray shook his head at the awful thought, hoping it was enough to remove it from his brain completely.

He shouldn't wish that. Alex was a valuable member of the team and he should respect her decision to head back to her family.

Maybe they were all she had left.

That doesn't excuse her abandoning them in the fifties. His brain whispered. That doesn't excuse her not saying goodbye.

Ray didn't know why he was so surprised. He should've known something was off when she was talking to Snart that morning. Hardly any breakfast, she wasn't talking to him.

He thought they had something... well it didn't matter anymore.

She was gone and he needed to focus on the mission at hand. He couldn't get distracted by anyone. Kendra or Alex.

The creaking of the door was heard and he jumped up to meet Kendra and finally get to try those delicious dinners his parents and Anna used to rave about.

The doorbell pulled them out of their authentic 50s experience, bringing them back to earth.

"Coming! I'm coming." Kendra yelled, setting the tinfoil tray down and wiping her hands with a napkin before walking up to the door.

"Welcome to the neighborhood" The woman chuckled, grasping hold of Kendra's hand and shaking it intensely.

Kendra looked taken aback, "Thank you. Thank you so much, Miss..." She waited for the woman to give her name.

"Mrs. Knox." The woman responded, Ray still couldn't see her face, "Gail Knox, and this is my husband, Curtis."

"Lovely to meet you." A familiar high pitched voice rang through the house, "I'm sorry, have, have--we met before?"

Kendra's response was hurried, and Ray could practically feel the anxiety radiating from her, "I-I doubt it. I--we just moved in from way out of town."

Ray knew this was his time to step in.

"I hope you like tuna surprise." The man changed the subject.

Ray stood up, placing the tinfoil tray on the end table before joining Kendra at the door, "Are you kidding? I love tuna surpri--" His words caught in his throat as he finally saw what Kendra was so anxious about, "Oh, my God--"

"Raymond!" Kendra cut him off, "These are our new neighbors, Curtis and Gail"

So that's what Savage was calling himself now, "What a surprise. Tuna surprise." He tried to save, gesturing toward the casserole, "So many surprises."

Savage smiled curtly and handed him the dish, "Well, another reason why we dropped by was to let you know that we are having a soiree tonight." He traded a loving look with the woman masquerading as his wife, "It's our daughter Sophie's birthday."

"Stop by anytime after 8:00." Gail informed them, a wide smile spreading across her lips, "We're just across the street. Don't bother to ring the bell."

"No, you just walk right on in." Savage continued, "It's that kind of neighborhood"

The door closed again and Ray's mind immediately went to Kendra, his hand gently rubbing her shoulder, "Are you okay?"

Kendra nodded, her open mouth and shaky breath saying otherwise, "I will be." She brought her head to his chest, his arms wrapping themselves around her and pulling her closer. This was unfair. To force her to relive her trauma over and over again wherever they went. It made him sick.

Everywhere they went he was there, and everywhere they went Kendra had to see the face of the man who had murdered Carter. The door opened again and they pulled apart, smiles plastered on their faces in case it was Savage back for more.

Instead, it was Alex, grocery bags in hand, eyebrows creased as she looked at the expressions on her teammate's faces.

"Is everything okay?" She asked right away, placing the bags on the bench underneath the coats. Ray and Kendra let out a sigh of relief, the latter explaining the recent interaction they had with their new neighbors.

Ray couldn't believe she was still here. But he knew that some small part of him had leaped for joy when she had walked through the door, knowing that she had come back for them.

Of course, it made sense for her to go shopping. They barely had any food. Ray shouldn't have jumped to the worst conclusion. He shook his head, his lips perking upward as he chastised himself.

"Ray," Her voice pulled him out of his thoughts, her ponytail swinging as she handed him his jacket, "Come on, we gotta go."

He nodded pulling on his jacket, "Where are we going exactly?"

"To tell Rip that we saw Savage," Alex explained, locking the door behind them, "He'll know what to do next."

He didn't have super empathy, but he could tell something was off with Alex. She wasn't meeting his eyes, and her steps were quick, anxious looks thrown side to side as she moved toward the direction of the Waverider.

Something was wrong.

"Savage doesn't think I recognize him, which means he won't try to kill me." Kendra debriefed the team, "He can't steal my powers before I've found them."

Ray stuffed the tuna casserole in his mouth, trying to separate the villain from the cook, "Don't forget, we also have to figure out why he's killing the townsfolk."

Kendra's face twisted in disgust at his actions, "Are you really eating that?"

He shrugged, it was good, and he will never apologize for good food, "Say what you want about Savage." Ray spoke up, "He makes one hell of a casserole."

A soft chuckle came from his side, and he turned to see Alex standing there, her lips turned upward at his statement. It made Ray straighten up and his lips perk upward. At least she found him funny.

Rip quickly diverted the conversation, "Yes, well, Mr. Snart and I have been analyzing these forensic files." He began, pulling them up on Gideon's desktop. Alex leaned forward, examining the files, Leonard walking around to join her.

"Which reveals nothing except Savage is very good at making people disappear." The criminal announced, looking at Alex as if she should know something the rest didn't. For some reason their close proximity made Ray's chest tighten and he finally put the casserole down, moving to join Kendra's side, pulling her closer.

"Hmm, something you both have in common," Jax spoke through the tension, finally addressing the elephant in the room. Ray had to admit that in all the chaos, he had forgotten about the dubious fate of their other teammate.

Silence hung over the room and no one wanted to say anything to refute him.

The younger kid stared around the room, "Are we just gonna pretend like none of this happened?" He asked, his voice getting louder, "That Mick Rory wasn't a part of our team? If you can just ice your best friend like that," He paused, as if considering his next words, "I hate to think what you could do to us."

Alex was the first one to respond, "Look, Snart's on our side okay?" Ray felt the familiar tight feeling as she defended the criminal beside her, "And none of that matters because right now, we need to stay focused on the mission." She urged.

Rip nodded, agreeing with Alex's assessment, "She's right." He began, "Look, Savage is going to be busy with this little cocktail party." he laid out the plan, and Ray stood at attention, "Whilst you three keep an eye on him," He pointed at Alex, Kendra, and Ray, "Sara and Martin have the opportunity to find out what he's doing in the secret wing of that asylum."

Ray turned to leave, when he witnessed what looked like a whispered argument between Alex and Rip, only one final command heard throughout the ship.

"You're needed with Dr. Palmer and Miss Saunders," He ordered, "You know why Miss Prince."

Alex rolled her eyes, turning back toward the table before meeting Ray's gaze and quickly turning away from him.

Ray couldn't explain why that hurt.

***

The dinner party was in full swing, and Ray was busy hanging up Kendra's coat to pay too much attention to the people that Savage had surrounded himself with. He was heading back toward Kendra when he caught the last few words of her current conversation.

"Then I suggest you find a waitress," Her tone was clipped, angry with the woman for assuming she was the help. Ray's felt his face getting hot. Was it that weird for a woman of color to just exist in the fifties? He grit his teeth, jaw clenching at the woman's next words.

"Well, I-I just assumed--"

Ray stepped forward, playing the dutiful husband, ready to shield Kendra from any more insults, "You assumed wrong." He spoke coldly, letting the woman know that her behavior was not welcomed, "So why don't you go ahead and get your own champagne?"

The woman turned around and caught sight of Alex near the door, Ray went to go and defend her from the insult when she spoke up, "Not a waitress either,"

Alex pushed past the racist woman to grab a glass of champagne, eyes searching the room. No doubt looking for any traps Savage may have planted in case he recognized Kendra. She had dressed up for the occasion, the dark blue dress hitting her knees, almost glittering at a certain angle.

"Wow, I guess this whole interracial marriage thing really is a novelty." Kendra's voice pulled his attention back toward her.

"Huh?" He asked, tearing his eyes away from Alex's presence to face the beautiful woman beside him, he swallowed his nerves, ignoring the jumping in his gut telling him to turn back toward the Amazon, "Well, go ahead and let them stare." He smiled, offering his arm for her to grab, "I've got the most beautiful woman in the room on my arm."

A high pitched voice interrupted their evening, "I couldn't agree with you more."

Ray forced himself to push through the conversation with Savage, a smile on his face as he tightened his grip on Kendra. Once Savage was gone, their smiles disappeared.

"Okay, we need to split up." Kendra planned, placing her champagne flute down on the end table beside her, "You check the back rooms, and I'll see what I can find up here." She pressed forward and Ray held her back.

"Uh, you sure that's a good idea?" He asked, partially wondering if she had gone crazy, "Leaving you up here by yourself with Savage?"

Kendra's tone grew sarcastic, tilting her head and raising her eyebrows, "I'm pretty sure he's not gonna kill me next to the canapes, Ray." He paused, still unsure about the entire plan. She didn't give him a choice, "Go. I'll let you know if I need help."

He nodded slightly, worry creasing his brow before he turned to search the back of the house, a task which took him less than two minutes before discovering a locked door. Bingo.

He was getting ready to find Kendra when he overheard Alex's voice.

"I need to know what you meant by get out of here," Her tone was urgent, clearly whoever she was talking to did not want to talk to her.

"Lexa--"

Ray froze. He recognized that voice. It belonged to the person who had almost killed Alex. To the woman who was on Savage's side. The speedster that had stabbed her. What the hell was Alex doing talking to her? And why hadn't she told the team?

"Don't call me that," Alex snapped, "You don't get to call me that. I'm only here because I need answers, nothing else."

Silence hung between the two, someone sighing before the speedster answered. "I told Savage about you. That's how he knew who you were the night we met." She confessed, "I didn't tell him about anyone else though" Her tone was urgent, but Ray didn't believe her for a second. If the speedster had told Savage about Alex, then that meant he probably knew about...Kendra.

He moved as fast as he could, pushing through the crowds with a polite 'excuse me' and 'sorry' as he looked for the brunette, breathing becoming frantic when he couldn't find her. A hand on his elbow caused him to whip around, meeting the eyes of the woman he was looking for.

"Can we go?" Kendra asked, her hands wrapped around her midsection, "Please?"

Ray nodded, quick to pull her to his side, leaving the house as quickly as they came.

They needed to tell Rip about this new development anyway.

***

Alex stood outside the white door of Savage's 'man cave' opening her palm to allow Ray to sneak through the keyhole, quickly stationing herself close enough to the door to let Ray know about anyone she might see through the giant window.

"We're in," She told Kendra through the earpiece, a sigh of relief the response she got in return.

"What do you see?" Her voice was almost muffled, shaking back and forth from nerves.

Ray's tinny voice came over the comm, "Uh nothing all that hideous." He debriefed, "Except for a terrible collection of golf pants. Alex chuckled at that, trying to imagine what could be so horrible Ray had to comment on it. "Hang on."

She shook her head, unable to keep the smile off her face as she picked at her shirt sleeve, recalling the last time she had been in the house. KALI had approached her again, to give her the same warning she had given that afternoon. Alex was fed up with her changing sides. If she really cared then why didn't she stop Savage? Why did she try to kill her when they first met in the 80s?

Well, she knew why, but it still enraged her. And then Ray and Kendra had just...left her there. She swears if it wasn't Rip's orders she would be helping Sara out in the hospital right now. What had made them leave her behind? She swallowed her nerves, questioning (not for the first time) whether or not she should've stayed with the Legends when she now has a viable way home. Was there something wrong with her? Why did they leave her there?

Kendra's voice brought her out of her stupor, "Ray? Ray, it's Savage. He's back." Ray didn't respond, "Did you hear me, Ray? You need to get out of there!"

Alex stood guard by the door, staring through the window for any sign of Savage or his makeshift family, "I think I found something." was all Ray said in response.

Alex knocked on the door, catching sight of Savage leaving his car, "Ray, get out of there now!"

"No, no, no, no. You don't have time." Kendra's frantic voice came across their comm unit, "He's already here."

Alex swallowed her nerves, trying to find a viable place to hide as she heard the door click open. She was out of time. They both were. A hand grasped her own and she met the bright blue stare of KALI.

"Follow me," The blonde urged, pulling her down the hallway and into a storage closet, the small space pushing them closer together until there was hardly any space between them, their noses practically touching.

"Why are you doing this?" Alex whispered, trying not to alert Savage to her presence. KALI gulped, before leaning closer.

"Do you trust me?" She whispered in response.

Alex shook her head, "No, and the fact that you think I would--"

Her words were cut off by Savage yelling "Sophie!"

He was close. He was practically right outside the closet.

KALI wasted no time, leaning forward and planting her lips on Alex's. She wanted to resist, to pull away and yell at her for restarting something that died a long time ago, but she knew what KALI was doing. She was trying to save her skin.

The closet door was yanked open, light pouring through, revealing the young couple to Savage, who was quick to pull 'Sophie' away from her.

"Darling," He spoke through gritted teeth, his voice calm, "Why don't you go upstairs, I'll escort our guest out."

Kali nodded, her eyes flashing a warning sign Alex's way, letting her know that she should still leave as soon as possible.

Savage grabbed her bicep, nails digging in like the talons of the couple he was set on hunting down. "I don't know what you think you're doing Diana," He spat out the name, "But you will not distract KALI from this mission."

Alex felt her body thrown forward as he released his grip, she whipped around, knowing that KALI may be a villain, but she knew when to do the right thing.

"You're wrong about her," Alex threw back, if today was any indication, then perhaps her friend was still in there somewhere, "She's capable of so much more than you know."
Savage tilted his head, a saccharine smile on his lips as he slammed the door in her face.

She was still caught up in the memory of the event when Sara decided to devise a plan to take down Savage.

"Okay, so if Savage isn't the one doing the killing," Sara brought up, finally asking the question Alex had been asking herself the whole time, "what is he doing in town?"

"Doesn't matter," Ray interjected, Kendra by his side.

"We can take him down." The demi-goddess announced, pulling out the same stone dagger they had once used their first time hunting down Savage.

Rip's mood instantly got better once he laid eyes on the weapon, "The Amon Dagger. Where did you--"

"Savage's house." Alex cut Rip off. "That's what you found." Ray nodded her direction and she let out a soft scoff, impressed with his efforts.

Rip moved to the center of the room, finally offering a plan, "All right, we need to proceed on two fronts," He began, "locate Jefferson and make an all-out assault on Savage."

Sara and Alex shared a look before shaking their heads, "A full-on attack only plays to Savage's strengths." Sara began, "If we want to get him--"

"We need to target his weaknesses." Alex finished, and Rip nodded, agreeing with the two strategists.

"Sadly, very few come to mind."

"I can think of one." Kendra finally spoke up, trying to contribute to the conversation, "Me. He wants me, and he always has." Alex found herself agreeing with Kendra's assessment. It was a smart plan. "So if I can get close enough to him, then--"

"Then he'll kill you," Ray interjected, playing the role of an overprotective husband even though they were only fake married.

"Thank you for the vote of confidence," Kendra responded sarcastically, rolling her eyes, "but I don't need your protection."

"She's right," Alex rose up in support, "As far as we know Kendra is our best bet at taking down Savage." She shared a look with the demigoddess, who nodded her thanks, "Besides, Sara and I trained her, she'll be fine."

Ray scoffed, trying not to make this as personal as Alex knew it was, "There's no reason to go alone." He justified, "We're part of a team for a reason."

Kendra moved to confront him, "Yes, and the team seems comfortable with me doing this," She gestured to the three members before them, "so that makes it about you and me."

Alex and Sara lifted their eyebrows as they looked at each other, following Rip out of the room so Kendra and Ray could hash it out without onlookers.

"Hey" Sara caught up with her long strides, "Are you doing okay?"

Alex scoffed. Everyone was asking that it seemed. She nodded. "Yeah, I'm doing fine."

The blonde stopped in front of Alex, eyebrows knitted together, "Cause you don't seem fine."

Alex inhaled sharply, hoping that she could just smile all her problems away. It worked when she was with Alfie, it should be working with the legends.

"Sara," Alex stared into the bright blue gaze, speaking slowly, "I'm fine."

She moved past the smaller woman, ignoring the twisting in her stomach that contradicted her statement.

***

Ray sat behind the receptionist's desk, his knee bouncing up and down as he watched patients enter and exit the hospital. All he could think about was Kendra. How easy it would be for Savage to kill her and have no witnesses.

The sound of a clipboard made him flinch, turning his attention toward Alex's annoyed expression, her arms leaning against the desk.

"There's literally nothing to do," She complained, a ghost of a smirk on her lips, "I don't know how Sara managed not to go crazy here."

Ray just nodded along. He felt weird talking to her. She had kept Savage's sidekick a secret from them. She still was keeping the speedster a secret from them. Something in his chest hurt, stabbing him from the inside whenever he reminded himself of that fact. Alex seemed to pick up on it.

"You worried about Kendra?" She asked, lowering her voice, "She's going to be fine, I promise. She can--"

"How did you get out of Savage's house?" Ray asked, finally forcing her to own up to her secrets. He caught the slightest bit of worry pass over her face before she shrugged.

"He found me and threw me out," Alex said nonchalantly, like her interaction with him wouldn't jeopardize the mission.

"Just like that?" Ray questioned further, "He talked to you for five minutes and then threw you out?" He continued to press, trying to get her to reveal her secrets. Her tongue stuck itself in her teeth, finally catching onto what he was implying.

She played with her fingernails, "You found out about KALI huh?"

Ray nodded, disappointment creasing his face, "Yeah, Alex, I did." Silence hung between the two of them.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," Alex apologized, as if that made up for her actions, "I just thought--If I could figure out what she was up to before you guys found out she was here--"

"I get it," Ray spoke coldly, not wanting to hear her excuses, "You didn't trust us."

"Ray--"

A shriek cut off her apology and the two turned to see the experiments Savage had been working on during his time in the 50s.

"Kendra--" He whispered.

Alex turned to him, pulling out her sword, "Go," She urged, pressing forward to help Sara tackle the animal they were now facing.

Ray ran down the hallway, his mind only focused on the state of his girlfriend. Savage could've found her out. He could've killed her already. He needed to get there. He slipped his glove over his hand, breaking down the door just in time to see Savage almost plunge the dagger into her chest. Ray pressed a button, the dwarf star sending a blast of energy directly at the immortal, his body flying out the window as he rushed to check up on Kendra.

"You okay?"

She nodded, shaking in his arms as he pulled her close. A shriek came from behind him and he readied his blaster, only to see a pair of boots kick the chest of the hawk hybrid, a sword pushing the animal backward as Alex came into view, using her lasso to choke the animal into unconsciousness. She blew a piece of hair out of her face, meeting Ray's gaze before quickly turning away, no doubt their previous conversation sticking in her mind.

Ray's chest tightened.

***

He knocked on her door, gulping before walking into the small room upstairs, Alex standing up to meet him.

"Hey," He spoke softly, a sheepish look crossing his face, eyes wide, "I'm sorry for saying that you didn't trust us," He began, watching as Alex crossed her arms, her gaze permanently fixed to the floor, "In reality, it was me that didn't trust you" He continued, "You've done nothing but be loyal to this team and I--" He bit the inside of his cheek, "I should've trusted you. I'm sorry I didn't."

Alex finally lifted her eyelids, dark hues peeking through long lashes, her lips pursed as she considered her response. Ray felt his stomach gurgle. He wanted her to forgive him. He knew he didn't deserve it, but he wanted her to forgive him. He wanted her to trust him again.

"You were right," was all she said, rubbing her arm with her hand as she moved forward, "I should've told you about KALI, I don't know why I didn't." A mirthless chuckle rang through the room, "I guess--I thought-- I thought I could change her." Alex bit her lip, "I was wrong."

Ray wasn't sure whether he should hug her, all he knew was that both of them had messed up and he wanted things to go back to the way they were.

"I'm sorry for keeping it from you." She finally responded, pushing past him. He stopped her, grabbing her shoulders, the close proximity throwing him off as he met her gaze once again.

"You're not stupid for thinking you could change her," Ray said, trying to keep the thumping of his chest under control. His stomach jumping again. "If that's what you were thinking."

The air was thick between them, faces mere inches apart.

"I was actually thinking about how we're going to get all of this back," She joked, the heaviness dissipating as she cracked a smile, comfort washing over the two of them as they burst out in laughter. He had gotten his wish. Things were back to normal.

Their shoes crunched against the snow, Alex and Sara's laughter ringing in his ears behind him while he strode next to Kendra, a wide smile on his face as the two met each other's gaze. Something fizzed in his stomach. It was perfect. They could figure everything out on the ship.

"1958's swell and all," Kendra spoke to the rest of the team, "but I miss the Internet and cell phones."

"Agreed," Alex spoke up from Sara's other side. She sent a sympathetic smile Ray's way. He reciprocated the gesture. The sound of the Waverider taking off cut off his response, and soon the four of them were chasing after the machine.

"Uh what are they doing?" Ray asked, "Hey." He began to call after them, fruitlessly hoping that they would hear his cry.

Alex joined him in his crusade, "Hey!" She shouted, stopping halfway through the clearing, watching as the Waverider disappeared into the temporal zone, her chest heaving up and down, mouth flapping open in disbelief.

"Where did they go?" Kendra asked, sharing a confused look with Ray.

"Better question" Sara spoke up, the same look of disbelief on her face, "Why did they leave us?"

Ray kept his gaze firmly planted on Alex, watching as her frame slumped over, and he put the pieces together. She had left the extrapolator on the ship. She wasn't planning on leaving them at all. Except she was back where she started. Stuck on an Earth she didn't know, with no way home. They all were.