A/N: I'm alive! I'm so sorry I've fallen so, so behind on reviews, but usually the only time I have to read fic is on short bus rides to class or right before I go to bed. But I promise I read them, and what I've been reading has been absolutely fantastic, wow (including the other speculation fics about the promo kiss, you all are KILLING ME slowly with the angst, but I LOVE IT)
A/N 2: Sorry for any typos I may have missed, or if the history is a little off. The characters making appearances here were based on what historical figures will be in this episode (which I'm almost positive is episode 3, based I've seen through info swirling around on the internet for this episode)
A/N 3: As usual, don't own Timeless and any of the characters, etc.
A/N 4: I AM SO EXCITED FOR SEASON 2. THOSE TRAILERS, THE ACTION, THE NEW STORYLINES, THE LYATT LOOKS, UGH. Very open to Timeless-related discussions/speculations in my inbox :)
There was no denying that Lucy absolutely loathed Rittenhouse with all her being at this point.
There was also no denying that she was still absolutely enthralled with history, especially in moments like these.
Rittenhouse sure knew the swankiest places to plant their agents.
Their latest trip brought them to 1941, meeting up with the likes of William Randolph Hearst, who ended up inviting them to his party that very night at the actual Hearst Castle. Lucy had some reservations about trusting him, he seemed all-too willing in inviting them to his party right away. That was at the forefront of her mind, even as she reveled in the gorgeous white and gold dress that looked straight out of A Philadelphia Story. But she had to figure out what her mother and Emma wanted with Hearst, if anything at all.
Her plan to figure out anything, however, momentarily derailed when she first laid eyes on Wyatt in a tuxedo. She tried and failed miserably to hide the blush she knew was showing, especially when she saw him stare at her in awe coming out of her room wearing her shimmering dress.
He'd been doing a lot more of that lately. Not that she minded.
But she'd never admit it. Even with his prior talk of the "possibilities" between them, she refused to push him or rush into anything. It was hard to erase from her mind the utter anguish in his face when he came back from failed mission to rescue Jessica.
After scouting the party for the better part of an hour, Lucy was thrilled to meet and befriend Hedy Lamarr herself. Taking a liking to her and letting her know she might be in danger, she showed her pictures of her mother and Emma and asked if she had seen them. As the band struck up the music, and none other than George Antheil was dragging her away to dance, Hedy claimed that she had seen a striking red-haired woman towards the start of the party that may have been the red-haired lady in the picture, but she hadn't seen her since.
They split up to find Emma and Carol: Rufus would stay upstairs and Lucy and Wyatt would stay downstairs. Ever since the Benedict Arnold mission, Wyatt hated splitting up but he figured that the sooner they find Emma and Lucy's mom, the sooner they could figure out what the hell they were up to here and finish this Rittenhouse shit once and for all, if none other than to bring Amy back and bring peace for Lucy...
Lucy, who looked absolutely beautiful tonight and who he was absolutely in love with.
They both descended downstairs into a study with a lit fireplace and proceeded to check the doors in the hallways leading out of the study, but to no avail; all were locked. Wyatt sat on the couch in the study, huffing out his frustration.
"We'll find them Wyatt, don't worry," she sighed, picking out a book from one of the bookshelves. He knew she was just attempting to ease her mind by reading it. He still couldn't believe she was saying that and looked at her across the room in disbelief. The strength of this woman knew no bounds. After tearfully admitting to Rufus and him that her mom was Rittenhouse and hanging on to him for dear life not even two weeks ago, here she was, her voice emanating complete faith that they would figure this out, some how, some way.
He didn't deserve her, after all the things he had done.
But that didn't stop him from wanting to do anything for her, including bringing her some semblance of happiness in this moment.
And as the music died down into a slow and easy melody, that's exactly what he was going to do.
She had gravitated toward the window now, looking out at the night sky, clearly just living in this short self-imposed break they were taking and not thinking about anything else.
"Ma'am?" he asked her, extending a hand out to her to dance.
She rolled her eyes, but smiled and took his hand. He walked backwards towards the center of the study, taking her with him, and gave her a twirl after arriving in the center.
The firelight danced along the gold edges of the dress as she twirled, matching her radiant smile and laugh. He brought her closer to him to dance, one hand on her waist and lifting the other hand up with his.
"Not really all that knowledgeable on dance history, but I think it's appropriate to dance like this right?" he said, smirking at her.
She grinned, placing her hand on his shoulder. "This is perfect," she said softly.
After a few minutes of spinning, dipping, and laughing, Lucy's hand that had rested on his shoulder had gravitated to around his neck and her head was resting his shoulder, with Wyatt's head resting on hers and their joined hands on his chest. He could have stayed like that forever,
"You look beautiful tonight," he said, after lowering his head closer to her ear.
"Thank you," she said, pulling her head up from his chest with a slight blush on her cheeks. "And thank you for helping me forget about the chaos that's my life right now, at least for a little while."
Wyatt realized the music had stopped and her sad smile broke Wyatt's heart. He kept his hand on her waist, but reached up to the back of her neck, brushed his thumb across her cheek and looked her firmly in the eyes. "Lucy, I hate that you're going through this. We will end this, and we will get your sister back, I promise you."
He saw tears spring up to Lucy's eyes and she pulled away. "Wyatt, this may never end! My mother is ruthless, you've seen what she's capable of!" She closed her eyes and said more calmly, "All I want is to bring Amy back, and I put on a brave face like she would, but every time I think of what my mother could do to Rufus or you, I...Wyatt, I can't bear seeing either of you hurt because of me. There's no one else I would rather do this with, but I cannot lose you."
Wyatt shook his head. "Sorry Lucy, but you're out of your damn mind if you ever thought for a second you were doing this alone."
"Wyatt, please, listen to me..." she said, a little louder and a little more sternly.
She was actually serious. He couldn't believe it.
Well he was about to bring her to her senses.
"No Lucy, wait," he said firmly. "I...I don't want to lose you either."
She was gearing up for another argument and he knew it. "But why would you put yourself at risk—"
"Because I'd risk myself a million times over for the woman who made me feel the lightning bolt again."
A few seconds passed, her mouth agape, eyes wide. He could see the memory of their conversation in bed in Bonnie and Clyde's cabin replaying in her brain through her eyes, but he knew she understood him, even when she stuttered out a single "What?".
He took a step toward her. "From the first moment I met you, you were an annoying, bossy know-it-all," he chuckled. "But now? I've realized you're also the smartest and most caring woman I know. You broke down every single wall I had put up around me since Jess died. You helped me start living again. So I don't care how mad at me you get or how much you'll try to convince me that this is a bad idea, because I love you Lucy Preston, and I will fight Rittenhouse with you until the ends of the earth."
The only sound was the fire crackling in the fireplace. The admiration and shock in Lucy's eyes started to mix with something else as she lowered her eyes to his lips. He started to move in, but she beat him to it, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him like her life depended on it.
He thought their kiss in Bonnie and Clyde's cabin was incredible. Wyatt brought his arm up to her neck and hair to cradle her head, bringing her even closer with his other hand. Leaning in, he deepened the kiss, still not able to get enough of her.
He felt every single emotion that had ever passed through the both of them in regards to each other: Hope, fear, sadness, happiness...love.
Another kiss he would never forget.
Moving back from each other to catch their breath, still hopelessly entangled in each other, foreheads pressed together, Lucy brought her eyes up to his and whispered, "I love you too." They smiled against each other lips then, melting into another kiss, which led into Wyatt trailing kisses down Lucy's neck.
"I knew that pep talk would work."
Lucy and Wyatt looked up to find Rufus leaning against a wall with his arms crossed, looking smug.
"Rufus, how long have you been standing there?!" Wyatt asked incredulously.
"Chill man, literally only a few seconds! But enough to see you finally makin' moves," Rufus said, waggling his eyebrows. "Really though, I came down here to find you guys because we seriously need to go and you guys were taking forever. I found Emma and Momma Preston, and they have another girl in their posse. I tried to follow them, but they disappeared in a crowd. The only thing I caught was the girl's name. Amanda, I think."
"Well, let's get a move on then," Wyatt said, grabbing Lucy's hand and following Rufus up the stairs. Before reaching the top however, Wyatt turned to Lucy to plant another lingering kiss on her lips. "To be continued," he whispered against her lips. Lucy laughed blissfully and nodded, even though he saw that the worry was still present in her eyes. Confessions of feelings weren't going to make this any easier, he was even more set in not leaving Lucy alone now, no matter what Rittenhouse threw at them.
One step at a time, he thought to himself.