Trees fly by in her peripheral vision, leaves crunch under her feet. Her chest is tight and it's getting harder to breath but she need to keep moving, keep running. Lucy doesn't dare look back, she can barely keep up with Wyatt and if she loses sight of him she might never find her way back to town. Wyatt keeps checking on her, she knows he could run faster but he's holding back for her.
Lucy's long skirt snagged on the underbrush and she fell forward. Her arms flung out to protect her face, she heard a pop. Instant, icy pain ran up her right wrist and arm. Lucy rolls onto her back, her vision blurred by tears. It is too dark to see her wrist clearly, but she feels the swelling. Luckily that's all; she feels no deformity. She braces the arm against her chest and attempts to stand. It takes three tries for her to rock forward and finally get on her feet. She hears the lace of her high collar shirt tear, and pull at her.
Lucy listens but can't hear if they have been followed. The farmhouse where they found Emma and her crew was half a mile back. She was still too close; if the men heard her fall they would kill her. She stays quiet, listening for any pursuing Rittenhouse or Mexican Rebels, her only hope is that they didn't see her.
Rufus had run off ahead to warn the town people of 1915 San Diego, Texas that they were about to be raided. Wyatt had given Rufus the proof to get the bull-headed sheriff to finally listen. According to the original timeline, the raid never happened, but with Rittenhouse's support and encouragement no one would be safe. Lucy had watched the man Emma used as a puppet for her speech, she had only seen a flash of red hair when the Rebels had arrived.
Lucy steps back, cradling her arm; a large hand covers her mouth and a strong arm wraps around her waist. Lucy struggles to break free. She kicks down trying to dig her heel into her attackers instep. A grunt and hiss are pressed into her neck. Her injured arm flares up with pain she can't hold in the panicked whimper.
"Lucy, it's me," Wyatt whispers, his lips brushing over the shell of her ear.
Her body sags in relief, Wyatt's arms are the only thing that keep her standing. Wyatt slowly removes his hand from her mouth and he places it on her waist. Lucy stands and turns in his arms, she pulls him into a hug, her injured wrist between them. Lucy hisses and winces. Wyatt pulls back, looks around, and then down at her arm. He gently takes her hand in his, he runs his thumbs and finger over her wrist. Lucy bites her lip, she knew it was broken and by the look in Wyatt's eyes, so did he.
Lucy wonders what will happen if she needs a cast for the next six to eight weeks. Does that mean she can't go on any missions until she's healed? Would Wyatt and Rufus still go out with another historian? Would she be wiped out of history like Amy? Would they have any proof she ever existed? She only had her locket to remember Amy, Lucy automatically reached for the ever present necklace but her neck was bare.
"Oh god no," Lucy voice breaks and she drops to the ground. She forgets Wyatt is still holding her wrist and she almost screams when it drops to her side.
"Shit, Lucy! Did I hurt you?" Wyatt's voice is low.
"Where is it?" Lucy sobs.
Lucy frantically pats the ground with her good arm. She flips over fallen branches and pushes leaves aside. Her heart beats wildly and her breathing is erratic. She doesn't notice the tears streaming down her face until her vision blurs. She barely feels Wyatt tug at her shoulders but she fights his grip. The ringing in her ears drowns out his voice.
"Lucy, Lucy please talk to me. Please, Baby," Wyatt's voice breaks on the last word.
He kneels in front of her, lifts her face and cups her cheeks. She tries to turn away, but he only tightens his grip. His face is dirty and pale, his blue eyes shiny with unshed tears. She can see his lips moving but it's his eyes that center her. She watches his chest slowly rise and fall, feels his breath on her face. Lucy takes a breath with him and then another.
"That's it, Baby, just breathe with me." Wyatt's voice was soft and even. He rests his forehead on hers and keeps taking slow, deep breaths.
Lucy holds onto one of his wrists, she can feel his rapid heart rate, she counts the beats. She registers that they sit on the forest ground wrapped around each other. She looks at how close his lips are, only inches separate them. Lucy lets go of his wrist and places her hand on his day old stubble. It's softer than she remembers.
"Did you call me Baby?" Lucy ask in bewilderment.
"Uhh maybe, I was - am - a lot worried about you." Wyatt pushes her hair away from her face and looks her over. "What happened? I heard you fall and I came back for you. I didn't want to you yell out when I came up. Your wrist, did I do that?"
"Oh, no. That was the fall," Lucy explains.
"Does it hurt? I have never seen you like that, it scared me. I didn't know how to help." Wyatt drops his head.
"But you did," Lucy lifts up his chin. "Wyatt you helped. But it's gone. I've lost the one thing that kept her real." Lucy leans into him, his warm chest and arms a salve to her pain.
"The locket?" Wyatt breathes.
Lucy nods, her body begins to tremble. The broken wrist and loss of her only link to Amy too much to take at once. Wyatt pulls away from her, Lucy whimpers at the loss of him and curls into herself. She has given so much to this mission, and had too little to show for her dedication.
Her mother lied to her her whole life and as far as Lucy was concerned, she was the Rittenhouse Darth Vader. Her mother revealed her true nature, at what should have been the end of Lucy's journey. She lost her best friend, her sister, to a cause that she didn't believe in. Lucy was content to be a sister, a daughter, and history professor. Her plan was to make tenure, get married one day, maybe have a kid. That was the life she thought she would have. She could have been happy.
Instead she was running for her life every other week. She lives in a small apartment near work but still hadn't bothered to unpack. Her two friends are in an adorable honeymoon phase of a new relationship. She loved Rufus and Jiya, but their happy love bubble was hard to watch when you're single. Then there was Wyatt.
Wyatt frustrates her her with his reckless behavior. But he also challenges her to be better, to try harder. He made her laugh and held her when she cried. He made her a true believer in love. She had never felt or loved anyone the way she did him. Lucy hoped that he would come to care about her the way she did about him. But so far, he hasn't said anything, tried anything. They spent days in the past together, but also between missions he would pull her from her funk. They go hiking, he teaches her self defense. Dinners or drinks with Rufus and Jiya every other day. If it was anyone else she would swear they were dating, just none of the benefits.
They had only shared one kiss, and that had been for show. Since then, they'd had lots of intense conversations that invaded each other's personal space, a few times she swore he was about to kiss her. But he never did. He trusted her, he needed her safe, but he did not love her and that broke her heart. Wyatt's heart still belonged to Jessica, and no matter how much time had passed he would never move on.
"What are you doing?" Wyatt demands.
Lucy pulls herself out of her self loathing ball and looks at him. He is on his hands and knees covered in leaves and dirty. Wyatt wipes sweat off his brow leaving a long streak of mud. Lucy stares, completely perplexed by his behavior. Wyatt huffs, shakes his head, and walks towards her. He reaches his hand down and helps her to her feet.
"Lucy, you can't just give up," Wyatt reassures. Lucy's shoulders slump, her head and heart hurt. She is just so tired.
"Why not?" Lucy pouts.
Wyatt pulls a leaf from her hair, "Because I know you, and you do not give up. It's one of the reasons I fell in love with you. I know you had the locket after the farmhouse so it must have fallen off during or after the fall."
Wyatt stand beside her looks down at the ground and around the small clearing. He mumbles to himself about 'it's got to be here, and we'll find it.' He doesn't notice her slack jaw or wide eyes. Wyatt approaches a large, thorny bush, he squats down pushes his hands into the bush spreading the branches apart. He sucks air between his teeth but he keeps moving the branches aside.
Lucy stares, his words replay over and over in her head, fell in love with you. Master Sergeant Wyatt Logan just told her he loves her. He loves her, and he is cutting his hands to look for her locket. She didn't ask, but he knows how much it means to her, and he is doing everything to find it. Lucy thinks back to the last few months, everything he'd done for her, with her. The late night movies and falling asleep together on the couch. The phone conversations when they couldn't fall asleep. She had been focused on making him care enough about her to stay longer. Somehow, she missed the fact he did love her and showed her in countless ways how he felt.
"You love me?" Lucy squeaks.
Wyatt snaps his head up and turns his head up to her. He looks at her, his brows knit together. Wyatt pulls a hand free but the other one catches on a large thorn. It tears into his skin and Wyatt curses. Lucy is by his side in an instant. She tears off a piece of her skirts and presses it to his bleeding arm. Wyatt lifts her chin and examines her face.
"Of course, I love you," Wyatt smirks.
"Like a friend?" wonderment spills out of her barely audible words.
"You are my best friend, don't tell Rufus, but that's not the kind of love I feel for you." Wyatt's thumb brushes over her lip. "I am in love with you, I need you, I want to be with you for as long as you'll have me."
"Forever, I want you forever."
Lucy grabs onto his shirt and she pulls him closer, her head tips back and his lips touch hers. He's tentative, gentle, the touch soft and exploring. It's nothing like their first kiss, it's more powerful, even in it gentleness. This is Wyatt, her Wyatt, and she is kissing him. Lucy opens her mouth, presses into him, her tongue tastes him for the first time and she moans. He sucks in a breath through his nose, his hand slides to the back of her head and into her hair. Wyatt gathers her close, his lips claim her, time stops as she melts into him.
Wyatt loses his balance and falls back landing on his ass. Lucy lands on top of him her injured wrist between them. Lucy rolls off him, her arm pinned to her chest as pain washes through her, and she bites her tongue to keep from screaming. Wyatt looks around and back at her, concern filling his eyes. He places his hand down to move toward her, he suddenly stops and looks down.
Wyatt lifts his hand up slowly, a long gold chain dangles from his fingers Lucy's locket follows. Lucy look at him and then the locket, she quietly squeals and propels herself towards him. He grabs her shoulder and stops her before she can hurt herself again. Lucy leans her head into his chest, her heart pounds, happy tears slide down her face.
"I love you. And not because you found this." Lucy's fingers close around the locket and his shirt. She peppers his face with kisses, everywhere she can reach. "Thank you."
"Lucy, not that I want you to ever stop kissing me, but I really think we need to get away from the cabin full of rebels aiming to kill everyone in a few hours," Wyatt declares.
Lucy had forgotten why she had been running, forgotten the threat. Her eyes widen and she looks around but the forest is quiet. She places the locket and chain in her skirt pocket. Wyatt stands and offers his hand, she smiles at him and rises. He gives her a chaste kiss before tugging her with him. After a few steps they start to jog and his arm falls away but he stays closer than the first run.
They find Rufus, on the outskirts of town, nervously pacing the ground. He fills them in on his turn of events. The sheriff had sent a rider to the near by Rangers and Army battalion. Within the hour they would be riding on the farmhouse and stopping the conspirators.
Rufus and Wyatt help splint her arm and then bandage Wyatt's cut. Rufus purses his lips but doesn't say anything about Wyatt holding and kissing Lucy's good hand. They agree to check the Lifeboat to see if Emma was still in 1915. Wyatt is anxious about Lucy's arm and wants to get her home as soon as possible.
It wasn't the first time he had been protective of her, his worry and anxiety would make him take bigger risks than normal. But it was the first time she really watches him. Wyatt keeps a hand on her elbow and hovers close. His thumb rubs circles on her elbow to offer her comfort for them both. He might not have said those three words, but he'd been showing her for months and she had almost missed it.
Wyatt buckled her into her seat, his eyes on hers. Butterflies and warmth spreads through her core. Before he sits back, Lucy grabs his shirt holding him in place. He smirks and looks at her mouth.
"Ma'am?" he drawls.
"We have a lot to talk about," Lucy press her lips against his.
"'Bout time,"Rufus mumbles. "Couldn't you guys have done this a month ago, so I could have won the the bet?"
"You bet on us?" Lucy asks Rufus before looking at Wyatt. "Did you know about it?"
Wyatt looks away, rubbing his neck as a flush spread up his throat. Lucy nudges his leg and smiles.
"You knew!? Why did you wait so long to tell me?" she chides.
Before he can answer, Rufus sends them back. Wyatt's eyes stay on her, the force of the Lifeboat keeps him against his seat, but they still hold on to each other. As soon as the doors open, Wyatt yells for a medic. The cries continue along by other voices, until a medic in BDUs pushes through the crowd. Lucy shakes her head with a smile and accepts Wyatt's helping hand.
Two hours, an x-ray, and a new plaster cast on her arm later, Lucy sees Wyatt again. He's back in his modern clothes carrying a small brown teddy bear, a 'get well soon' balloon and he also carries an In and Out bag, the smell of greasy fries and cheeseburger makes her mouth water.
"I was ordered to stop hovering in the hall, so I thought I'd make myself useful." Wyatt kisses her cheek and places the bear in her arms.
"I like useful." Lucy pulls him down and kisses him properly. "Hi,"she mumbles against his lips.
Wyatt smiles, "I can definitely get used to hello's like that."
He takes the empty chair, pulls a table closer and starts pulling food out of the bag. Lucy pushes up in bed, the doctor gave her some medication and she couldn't leave until she had a ride. She watches him. His handsome face didn't have the shadow of grief anymore, he smiles more and laughs.
"How long?" Lucy wonders out loud.
Wyatt looks up in confusion, "How long what?"
"How long have you loved me?" Lucy explains.
His face relaxes into a smile, "I couldn't tell you the exact moment I fell in love with you. I think I've been fallin' since the moment I met you. I just wasn't ready. Lucy, I never thought I'd feel this way again. It scared me, caring for someone again. Knowing that I couldn't survive losing you. That fear was one of the reasons I went back to try and save Jessica. You were becoming more important to me than the memory of my wife, and I thought it'd be easier to have my old life back."
Lucy stares at him in shock. Almost a year had gone by since he had chosen to steal the Lifeboat. Wyatt had gone after he realized his feelings for Lucy. He had been so scared to lose her that he risked her never knowing him. It was after he failed that he started to change, opening up a little more. He started to put his past behind him, reaching out to her more. After she discovered the truth about her mother, he took her in until she found a new home. But he still never told her. Now, she realizes that he showed her.
"You are an idiot," Lucy interrupts him.
"Maybe, but I'm your idiot." Wyatt's smile is bright.
"We could have been having benefits," Lucy retorts. "All kinds of benefits."
"I am a gentleman and I wanted to court you. Your world had been flipped upside down and I wanted you to be sure. Sure that you wanted this and me."
Lucy groans, "my adorable idiot, take me home so I can kiss you how I want."
"Yes Ma'am." Wyatt tips a imaginary hat and winks.