Originally posted on AO3. This is the fic that 'these memories lose their meaning' is a continuation of; sorry it's taken me so long to get it up here! I still don't quite understand FFN, but I'm working on it!
Written originally for officerparker's week 3 challenge. The prompt: Someone from Wyatt's past shows up thinks Wyatt and Lucy are together.
Lucy ran after the gurney, lifting her skirts up way above her waistline as she struggled to keep pace with the medics rushing Wyatt into the on-site infirmary. She could hear them talking in hushed tones, could hear Rufus chasing after her, could hear Agent Christopher calling for her. But, none of that mattered.
Wyatt was hurt. Nothing else mattered.
They couldn't seem to catch a break; Lucy had only just been cleared to travel again when Wyatt had pushed her out of the way of a falling wall in the war zone they had chased Emma into. Emma got away, thankfully without changing history, but all Lucy cared about was getting Wyatt back to the Lifeboat and back home, where they could fix him.
She heard something about cracked ribs and a broken arm. She allowed relief to wash over her; surely Wyatt had been through worse than that in his time with Delta Force.
They pushed him through double doors and one of the medics whirled around to stop Lucy from following them.
"Ma'am, I'm sorry, but you can't go in there." Lucy froze, her eyes wide, as she felt Rufus finally catch up to her and place a hand on her shoulder.
"He's going to be okay, right?" she asked, trying to catch her breath. She stood on her tiptoes, trying to peer over the doctor's shoulder, but he was too tall. He sighed, looking down at her.
"We're going to do everything we can, ma'am, but you need to let us work." Lucy nodded as the doctor turned and pushed through the double doors.
Rufus immediately pulled her into his arms, and she buried her face in his chest, the tears coming hard and fast. Her heart pounded and her head spun as she tried to calm herself down and regulate her breathing. She needed Wyatt.
He couldn't leave her.
Rufus gently pulled her toward the wall outside of the double doors, and he slid them both down to the floor, knowing Lucy wouldn't leave until someone told her Wyatt was going to be okay.
"It was my fault," she whispered, so soft Rufus almost thought he had imagined it. Rufus shook his head, his chin brushing her hair.
"Lucy, it was a war zone. Walls fall." He glanced down at her, relieved to see she'd stopped crying. "You ever seen White Christmas?" he asked, and she offered a watery chuckle. She sniffled and he held her tight as they both sat outside the stark white double doors, waiting for news of their teammate.
Hours later, Lucy awoke to the doctor from before quietly pushing through the double doors. She stirred in Rufus' arms, looking up at the doctor through blurry eyes.
"Ma'am," the doctor whispered, crouching down beside her. "Master Sergeant Logan is going to be just fine. With a week of rest, he should be good as new." Lucy let out a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding, smiling brightly at the doctor. "Would you like to see him?" he asked, offering her his hand. She nodded, immediately grabbing his hand as he helped her stand.
Wyatt was sitting up, wincing at the cast they'd put his arm in, trying to settle it on a pillow, when Lucy pushed through the doors. He looked up, alarmed at first, but immediately relaxed when he saw it was her.
"Oh my god," she whispered, rushing to his side, pulling his face into her hands. "Thank god you're alright," she whimpered, leaning her forehead against his. He closed his eyes, reaching up with his good arm to brush her tears away.
"I'm fine, ma'am," he whispered, smirking at her. She giggled, shaking her head. "Hey, Lucy," he said, leaning in to meet her eyes. She watched him carefully, instantly feeling a sense of calm wash over her as he smiled softly, pulling one of her hands from his face and pressing a kiss into her palm. "I promise. I'm fine."
"Well, no, you're not," she corrected him, reaching behind her to pull the chair by the bed closer to him as she sat down, still holding his hand. She rested her chin in her hand, raising her eyebrows at him. "You're under bed rest for a week, according to your doctor." Wyatt rolled his eyes, shaking his head.
"No, they just tell you that. I'll be fine in a couple of days." Lucy squeezed his hand, frowning.
"Wyatt, he said a week," she said, her voice hard. This was her professor voice, her no-nonsense voice, her future mother voice. Wyatt smirked at her, his eyes sweeping over her, double-checking her for injuries. "I'm fine," she whispered, noticing how tense he'd suddenly gotten.
"What about Emma?" he asked. Lucy shrugged.
"She got away, but she didn't change anything as far as I know," Lucy muttered. The door to his room opened and Rufus stepped through, rubbing his neck. Lucy and Wyatt turned to him expectantly.
"Glad to see you're okay, man," Rufus began, smiling at his friend. "But, I've got some bad news." Lucy tightened her grip on Wyatt's hand as Rufus smiled apologetically at her. "You're not gonna like it."
Lucy pushed her way into the conference room, dressed in another period costume, this one from the 1950's. Rufus was already sitting there, along with another man dressed in a suit straight out of a 50's film. Agent Christopher glanced up as she entered, smiling softly at her, trying to be reassuring.
Rufus had been right; she didn't like it.
"What if we change something?" Lucy asked desperately. "We can't just leave him here." Rufus walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Lucy, it'll be okay. We've done it before," he murmured. Lucy shot him a stony look.
"Remember how well that went last time?" she whispered. Rufus froze, remembering what had ended up happening to their replacement soldier. Agent Christopher walked over, leveling with Lucy.
"Master Sergeant Charles Tedder has worked with Wyatt before," she assured Lucy and Rufus. "He's just as good, if not better." Lucy stiffened at those words; no one was better at their job than Wyatt. No one cared more than he did about his team.
"I wouldn't say I'm better," the man in the other seat spoke up, standing now. Lucy looked over at him; he was so young, couldn't be more than 25. "But he did teach me everything I know, and then some."
Lucy smiled tightly at him, glancing between Rufus and Agent Christopher before stepping out of the conference room. "I'm going to go see him one last time," she whispered.
He was sitting up, fiddling with his remote when Lucy gently pushed her way into his room, immediately taking a seat by his side and taking his hand in hers.
"So, who is it?" he asked, noting the anxious look in her eyes. He knew Emma had taken the Mothership out, and that he wasn't cleared to go back to work yet. She frowned up at him.
"How did you know?" she asked. He shrugged, biting back the hiss of pain as he accidentally moved his arm so as not to worry Lucy even further.
"I can't go, and you two need someone there to protect you," he reasoned. "So, who is it? What's his name?"
A shadow fell over the room, but neither Lucy or Wyatt noticed, too focused on each other. The man stood outside the door, peeking in through the small glass window on the door, watching the two of them with a soft smile.
"Master Sergeant Charles Tedder," Lucy recited, glancing down at his hand, gently brushing her thumb over the back of it. "He says you taught him everything he knows." Wyatt grinned, his eyes lighting up.
"Teddy," he muttered fondly, nodding. "He's good. You'll be safe with him," he reassured her. She looked up at him, tears fresh in her eyes. "Lucy, don't cry," he whispered, pulling his hand from hers to rest it on her cheek, brushing her tears away. "It'll be okay."
"What if we change something?" she repeated her earlier fear. Wyatt frowned, confused. "You won't be with us. What if we come back and you're… not you?" Wyatt's face smoothed over as he realized what she was really afraid of. He leaned forward, forcing her to look into his eyes.
"Lucy Preston," he began, his voice hard. "I will never forget you. Ever." Lucy shook her head, looking down. "Hey," he whispered, tilting her chin up, looking into her eyes again. "I promise you, I couldn't forget you even if I tried. No matter what happens, I'll always find you." He leaned his forehead against hers, closing his eyes, breathing her in. "I think I was always meant to."
Lucy's breath caught and she could feel the tears coming for an entirely different reason now. Before she could respond, the door swung open, startling them out of their embrace. Teddy raised his hands in surrender, his eyes wide.
"Sorry, Sarge, didn't mean to interrupt, but I need to be briefed before we go," he apologized, glancing between him and Lucy. Wyatt nodded, clearing his throat, a soft pink tinge on his cheeks, matching the blush on Lucy's.
"No, it's fine, Teddy. Come on in, I'll get you up to speed." Teddy nodded as Lucy stood from her chair. "Hey," Wyatt reached out, catching her hand before she left. She turned back to face him. "I'll see you soon," he smirked. She chuckled softly, nodding. He squeezed her hand before letting her go, watching her leave through the double doors.
Teddy watched the exchange with a knowing smirk.
"Good for you, Sarge," Teddy muttered, standing by Wyatt's bed. Wyatt frowned up at him. "I'm glad you found someone that makes you happy," he explained. Wyatt's frown relaxed as his face softened. "And that you seem to have made peace with Jessica."
Wyatt glanced between him and the door Lucy had just left through, smiling softly. He nodded, smiling up at Teddy, not bothering to correct him. He simply replied, "thanks."
Teddy sat down, and Wyatt began briefing him on the mission, telling him everything about time travel, warning him about Lucy's fear of tight spaces. He told him about Rittenhouse, and how Rufus would help him out if he had any questions related to time travel itself. Wyatt paused, making sure Teddy was paying close attention to his next instruction.
"They're going to tell you the job is Emma," he began, watching Teddy closely. "But your job, first and foremost, is keeping Lucy and Rufus safe." He leveled Teddy with a stern look. "Do you understand?" Teddy nodded, and Wyatt sighed roughly. "Nothing else matters. Just make sure you bring them home safe."
"Yes, sir," Teddy affirmed, and Wyatt slowly relaxed back into his pillows. Teddy stood to leave.
"Oh, and Teddy," Wyatt called out as Teddy pushed the door open. "Don't call her, 'ma'am'." Wyatt grinned. "She hates that."
The door to the Lifeboat was barely open as Lucy pushed her way out, running for the infirmary. Agent Christopher called for her and she was met with an odd sense of deja vu. Biting back the worry that tried to overwhelm her, she finally made her way to Wyatt's door, pausing and taking a deep breath, steeling herself as she pushed the door open.
Wyatt looked up as she entered his room slowly, carefully. He smiled at her and she felt her heart stop.
"Lucy, thank god," he whispered, reaching out for her as she choked back a sob and launched herself into his arms. He didn't even complain as his arm and ribs throbbed in protest as he held her tightly, pressing soft kisses into her hair as she cried tears of relief into his shoulder.
Teddy stood in the doorway, smiling softly at the reunion. Wyatt glanced up, meeting his eyes, and smiled at his buddy.
"Thank you," Wyatt said simply, brushing his fingers through Lucy's hair, both attempting to calm her down and reassuring himself that she was there, and she was safe. Teddy nodded, knowing what Wyatt meant. He was thanking him for taking care of his team, of course. But Teddy knew that tone of voice, recognized the look on Wyatt's face as he held Lucy tightly.
He was thanking him for taking care of Lucy.
Hopefully 'these memories' makes more sense, now! It picks up riiiight where this leaves off. :)