"Hey, Captain, got a minute? Just wanted to go over the maintenance schedule," Ray Palmer said cheerily, holding a clipboard and a pen.

Sara Lance looked up from her desk. "Hmm? Oh, yeah, maintenance, of course."

"I mean, I just assumed you wanted me to take over from Jax. I… didn't mean to overstep," he said slowly, trying to interpret her foggy gaze.

"No, yes, I mean, Ray, it's fine, thank you. Come in."

Ray began to give his report, but noticed she didn't seem to be focusing. Finally, he stopped.

"Captain, is everything okay? You seem a bit… I dunno. Distracted," he frowned. "Is this a bad time?"

She cringed. "Sorry, I guess maintenance is just one of those things I've never really handled as captain. I really appreciate you taking this on though, I'm sorry to put more responsibility on your shoulders."

"No, it's fine. I mean, it'll be a learning curve, just like it was for Jax at first."

"Yeah, he really stepped up, didn't he?" she smiled with pride.

Ray smiled as well. "He really did. I remember it was hard on him when Rip first disappeared. Even though Rip had been prepping him for it, since he knew he'd be leaving."

"Wait, what? What do you mean, he knew?" Sara demanded.

Ray shrugged. "Before 1942, before we all got time scattered… Rip had told Jax he intended to leave the Waverider. That was why he was training him on maintenance, because he wouldn't always be around."

"I… never knew that," she said, shocked. "I thought he left because I was leading the team and he didn't feel he had a place. I never knew that was his plan all along."

"I'm sure that influenced the timing. But I suspect he'd been thinking about forming the Time Bureau for awhile. You remember how we'd been running ourselves ragged with all the anomalies? We'd been going nonstop for six months. He knew we couldn't keep doing it all ourselves. It was too much. The Time Masters had an entire fleet. We had one ship. I think he always intended to give us the opportunity to go home for good."

He noticed Sara's slight twitch.

"I hope it's an easier transition for you, though," Sara said, recovering quickly.

"It will be. I've been working as backup with Jax for a while now. It won't be difficult."

Sara nodded.

"Sara… how are you doing?" he asked, tentatively.

She shrugged. "I'm fine. I miss Martin, and now we have to learn to live without Jax. But our mission goes on. Martin would want that, and he wanted Jax to live his life."

He nodded. "How about having John Constantine here?"

She raised her eyebrows. "Is he not behaving himself? I told him Gideon would douse him with water if he smoked on board."

"No, John's fine. I just meant, is it bringing up memories you'd rather forget?"

She stared at him coldly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry. It's just that… you used to have these confidant-type relationships with other people. Kendra, Rip, Snart, even Marty… and now they're all gone. And I know we've never been especially close, Sara, not as close as you've been with the others, but I… I'm here if you ever want to talk," he said.

He paused, giving her a chance to interject, before he continued. "I remember when you and the rest of Team Arrow rescued me from Damien Darhk and H.I.V.E., and how hard it was for you back then… that was pretty soon after John brought back your soul. And you were still so angry and lost when Rip brought us here. And that was even before Laurel died."

She flinched, but responded. "Yeah… I thought… I thought I was a monster. That I couldn't be anything else. Becoming a Legend saved me by giving me a purpose. It helped me through the darkness, helped me accept Laurel's death."

Ray nodded. "You credited Rip for that. I remember you told him that. When he was 'Phil.'"

She looked surprised. "Did Rip tell you that?"

Ray grinned. "Nah, not the stoic Rip Hunter. Gideon's just a gossip."

She snorted. "She sure is. You're right though, it has been a little… unnerving… having John here. Don't get me wrong, I owe John more than I can ever repay, but I thought I could leave all that behind the day I boarded the Waverider and left Star City."

"I think you did. You aren't the same person you were then."

"Are you?" she wondered, looking at him appraisingly. "I wasn't the only one running away from my life in Star City."

"I… found a purpose here too."

She nodded. "It's just you, me and Mick now, of the original crew. You and Mick who don't just see me as the Captain, who remember how damaged I was before."

"That's why I wanted to remind you, you aren't alone in this. If you ever need to talk, I don't mind to listen."

"And you? Now that Martin and Jax are gone, who listens to you?" she asked, suspecting the answer.

He blushed a little. "I mean, there's Mick, of course."

"Of course."

"And Nate. Although he's usually pretty distracted by Amaya."

She nodded. "Being distracted by pretty faces, I understand that all too well."

She decided not to push him into an admission about Zari.

"I promise, Ray, if there's anything I need to get off my chest, I will let you know," she said.

Ray nodded, still standing there.

"You seem to have something you want to get off your chest, however," Sara observed.

"Yeah, I was just wondering… have you made a decision yet?"

"About what?"

"About bringing Rip home?"

She sighed, choosing not to refute that the Waverider is Rip's home. "John claims we need him, to fight Mallus."

"Is that all we need him for?"

She clenched her jaw. "As far as I'm concerned? Yes. I don't need him anymore."

Ray nodded.

"You know we'll support you, whatever you decide."

"And what's your opinion on the matter? Do we rescue the former time master, former captain, former director of the Time Bureau, former Legend, from his prison cell? Give him another chance to lie to us, use us, betray us?"

"I think… you were the only one who truly never gave up on Rip when he was missing, never gave up when his mind was gone, not even when he was rewritten to be a monster. Sara, he nearly killed you with his bare hands, technically did kill you, and you still risked everything to save him. What's changed now?" he asked gently.

She thought for a moment. "He gave up on us."

Ray nodded. "I know it seems that way. But he said he had his reasons. And we've forgiven Mick his betrayals, surely we can forgive Rip too?"

"Mick earned our forgiveness."

"Maybe Rip will too if we give him the chance."

Sara sighed. "I'll consider it. Thank you, Ray."

"Happy to help, Captain," he smiled.