A/N: Very short Wyatt introspective fic, since the scenario is inside a very small timeframe.

Spoilers: for episode 1x10 The Capture of Benedict Arnold.

Disclaimer: I own a few empty chairs; none of which contain the rights to Timeless.

After watching the Mothership disappear, along with Lucy, they had hurried back to the Lifeboat. Rufus was getting her started while Wyatt was buckling in. Unconsciously he reached across from him, for the seat belts on the opposite chair, until he realized there was no one there he could help strap in. He slumped back in his own seat, not wanting to admit defeat and so he shouted a little too harsh at Rufus, demanding to know if this thing couldn't move any faster, so they could get back sooner.

He had failed them; wasn't doing the job that was required of him, like the other two did. Rufus piloted the Lifeboat flawlessly and Lucy tried her best to get all of them to preserve history as is, or rather as it were. All he had to do was keep everybody safe, and he couldn't even do that.

The empty chair taunted him. He almost couldn't look at it - not without seeing his failure or Lucy - but he was forced to, partly because of the design and placement of the Lifeboat and his chair - facing the other one head on - but also because his mind liked to torture him.

All the times he had driven by the place where he'd left Jessica; it was unhealthy, but he had kept at it. Needed the reminder apparently, the anguish and despair that drilled itself deeper into his heart for every time. This was like that, only different. He had gone over Jessica's crime scene a million times, knew every rock, had turned over every leaf, examined all clues, and nothing. Here, this time, he knew what had happened to Lucy. He just needed to get her back.

The shaking felt more turbulent than usual, or maybe that was just because he bore witness to how the straps and buckles were bobbing violently up and down and from side to side, with nothing there to keep them in place. A few stray dark hairs, that clung to the fabric lining on the seat, fluttered in pace with the rhythmic bumps which almost made it seem like they were waving at him.

He closed his eyes, picturing for a minute what the interior of the Mothership might look like. It was definitely roomier than this. Had Flynn strapped Lucy in? Was he sitting across from her right now? Staring at her at while he plotted his next vile move?

Wyatt opened his eyes again and was met by absence. The sight hollowed him out, making him feel as vacant inside as the seat opposite him.

xXx

He was up and out of his chair before they had fully arrived, and if he could have he would have been out the doors before they were even opened. They really couldn't waste any time. If loss and time travel had taught him anything it was that every second counted. For once he was able to step out of the Lifeboat without stumbling; he wasn't nauseous, well he was, just not from the time travel itself. He was sick of having to wait. They needed to move, to act, to do something, anything. Anything was better than sitting around here doing nothing. Nothing but stare at unoccupied chairs.

He was pretty sure, that he couldn't bear to go into the Lifeboat and look at that empty seat too many more times. Though he had to do it once more, when it was fully charged and ready to go. One more time was okay, as long as they had someone to fill the empty space when they got back. And not just anyone, it had to be Lucy. She couldn't just be replaced with any plain old historian, like they had tried to replace him once. Lucy and Rufus had vehemently protested back then, and he would most certainly do the same if it ever got that far.

Now, he shouldn't anticipate the situation. One step at the time. Change required time and adaptation. And bringing in someone new to fill a seat when it still had an occupant was just not right. Furthermore, he had just gotten used to the seat beside him being filled anew. And he wasn't ready to give that up to the emptiness again.

A/N: This is great... now I'm obsessing over this whole Lucy kidnapping scenario and Wyatt's thoughts apparently. I need a season 2 so I can have more scenes to obsess about.

Also, I've never been good with endings, so I hope this made some kind of sense. I was going for a metaphor about Wyatt's life, but I don't know if it came across right.