Lucy shook her hands, which felt strangely heavy with the boxing gloves on. "Now what?"

It was her third week meeting Wyatt for self-defense lessons and he'd changed things up today by suggesting kickboxing. Though she'd been skeptical when they began the lessons weeks ago, she was proud of herself – both for sticking with it and for being better at it than she thought she would be.

"You need to practice punching," Wyatt said. Hands on her shoulders, he guided her over to the punching bag. "You're still not locking your wrists when you punch. You're going to break your wrist or your hand the way you're doing it right now. You're also not generating enough power to do any real damage."

"I don't think I have the upper body strength for that," she pointed out.

"It's true that you don't have the same upper body strength that an opponent might have, but there are ways you can compensate for that. Now, you're right handed, so you're going to stand with your left leg forward, right leg behind you. Keep your legs shoulder width apart, like this – maybe even a little wider."

Lucy tensed up when she felt his hands on her hips.

He leaned into her for a moment, his mouth next to her ear as he murmured, "Relax."

Relax. Right. She'd laugh if she could find the breath for it. His hand was moving down her right leg now, and was he kidding her with this?

"You need to bend your knees a little."

"You couldn't just tell me that?" she asked, turning to look over her shoulder at him.

"Hands on instruction is always best," he replied, and his mouth tilted up in that smirk that she found cuter than she probably should.

Rolling her eyes, she turned back to the bag and threw her first punch. "Ow."

"Felt that, huh?"

"A little."

"Keep your arms pulled in toward your body – there's no reason to pull back like you're doing. You're going to use your hips to put some power behind it, okay? Like this." His hands were back on her hips, helping her through the fluid movement. "Now, as your hips move, keep your arm at shoulder height and punch the bag."

Lucy was surprised to find that her punches landed much more solidly when she used her hips to power the movement. Wyatt stayed behind her, guiding her and occasionally correcting her stance. She tried to stay relaxed but the heat of his body behind her was a distraction, as were his hands. Every time he touched her she couldn't help the way her body stilled, as if waiting for something more.

The next time he spoke, he cleared his throat first. His voice was husky as he said, "You need to breathe out before you punch – before you make contact with the bag. It helps loosen your muscles."

So, she wasn't the only one affected here. The realization was satisfying on a basic, primal level. Lucy rolled her shoulders in an effort to shake off the tension, inhaled, and then concentrated on exhaling as she punched again.

After a couple of tries, Wyatt said, "Better. Try making a noise as you exhale."

"What?" She turned to look at him and raised her brows. "Like a karate noise or something?" Amy used to do that when she sparred, but Lucy couldn't quite imagine herself making those kinds of noises.

"Trust me. It helps you keep time with your breathing. It's also not a bad distraction since it can throw off your opponent."

"Fine." She turned back to the bag, got into position, inhaled and then cried out on the exhale. "Aye!" It wasn't exactly the noise she meant to make.

There was silence behind her and when she looked over her shoulder, Wyatt looked like he was biting back a laugh.

"Nice," he finally said. "Very Pirates of the Caribbean."

She rolled her eyes and turned back to the bag. "Shut up."

They practiced for another fifteen minutes, and the next time Lucy looked up it was to find Rufus and Jiya had arrived and were watching from the bench near the wall.

"Alright, that's good for today," Wyatt told her. Cocking a brow at Rufus, he added, "You're up, my man."

"Awesome," Rufus said with a sigh.

Lucy gave him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder as she passed him. While Rufus had agreed to the self-defense lessons before she did, she could tell it wasn't his favorite activity.

"You look like you're having fun with this, or at least more than you were in the beginning," Jiya said as Lucy sat beside her.

"It's getting easier, I think. There's almost a science to it – learning the right way to stand and hold my body means I'm not as clumsy as I thought I'd be. I just hope I can remember it if I need to. Amy always said that muscle memory takes over at some point, but I'm not so sure."

"Wyatt offered to teach me too," Jiya said, smiling as she watched Rufus raise his hands and get into position.

"Are you going to take him up on it?"

She shrugged. "Yeah, eventually. I don't think this Rittenhouse problem is going away any time soon, and we all have personal security in our down time now. I guess it's not the worst idea."

No, the Rittenhouse problem wasn't going away any time soon. Her mother was still going about her life since there was no evidence linking her family to the organization or to the disappearance of the mothership. Agent Christopher had held Carol Preston for questioning for two days but when her lawyers got involved, the order came in to release her.

Lucy privately wondered if Rittenhouse still had highly placed members they didn't know about – she suspected that was the real reason Christopher had been ordered to release her mother. She was kept under surveillance but hadn't done anything suspicious as far as Lucy knew, though she hadn't actually seen her mother since the night she told Lucy about her Rittenhouse ties.

With Carol right behind her, Lucy had immediately started packing her bags, intent on getting away from the woman who now bore so little resemblance to the mother who had raised her and Amy. Carol continued pleading her case as Lucy emptied drawers into her suitcases she'd only recently unpacked after moving out of Noah's house.

Then Wyatt appeared in the doorway to her bedroom, and she'd never been so relieved to see him.

"Master Sergeant Logan, I presume," Carol said, raising a brow at the gun he carried. "Is that really necessary?"

Wyatt ignored her. "Lucy?"

"She's part of it," Lucy said. "All of it. They're going to take the mothership." She felt a horrible, queasy feeling in her stomach when he gave a slight head shake. "They already did. How did you know where I was?"

"You weren't answering your phone so Christopher tracked it," he said. "Get the rest of your stuff together and come downstairs."

Lucy paused as Wyatt waved her mother out of the room. Looking around, it hit her that this was it – the last bit of normal she had left was her mother and this house in which she'd shared so many memories with her family. But her sister was gone, the father who had raised her was gone, and her mother wasn't the same person she remembered.

She wanted to cry so badly she could taste the tears in the back of her throat. Instead she took a breath and kept packing.

Since that night she'd been living in a Homeland safe house. The apartment building was small, but the apartment wasn't bad. A little soulless, maybe, but it was functional. The weirdest part was that she was the only resident – or she had been until the afternoon she returned from a grocery run and found Wyatt moving boxes into an apartment down the hall from hers.

And despite the fact that she had twenty-four hour security on site, and two agents stuck with her whenever she left, she couldn't deny that she suddenly felt safe in a way she hadn't since leaving her mother's house.

Lucy left Jiya to watch Rufus' lesson and went to shower and change clothes. They were going to the bar later for dinner and drinks, so she took a little extra care with her makeup and coaxed her hair into loose waves. Her jeans were casual enough, but she dressed them up with a silky, green tank top and a new pair of kitten heels.

It wasn't a date. She and Wyatt often went out with Rufus and Jiya, and it only made sense for them to take one car now for trips to Mason Industries or to meet their friends. The routine had just fallen into place after he moved in to the safe house.

But sometimes it all felt very date-like. Like they were both testing the waters.

She rejoined Jiya as the guys were finishing up, smiling at how pleased Rufus looked with Wyatt's encouragement. He might have a general distaste for the outdoors and self-defense, but she could see he was proud of himself for holding his own in the lessons.

It was at times like this that Lucy could see why Wyatt was so good at his job. As a Master Sergeant, he would have needed the leadership skills necessary to build up his team members, and to keep them cohesive and working as a team. Pulling them out of the weeds, he'd called it once when relating the story of one of his past missions. God knew he'd pulled both her and Rufus out of the weeds more than once, and they'd learned to do the same for him.

Wyatt grabbed a towel from his bag and wiped his face.

"So, these self-defense lessons made me think that you and Rufus could benefit from some American anthropology lessons," Lucy said.

"Don't we kind of get that on the fly, Professor?" Wyatt asked, smiling at her.

"Well, you get history lessons on the fly. Anthropology is more like customs of the time. Social etiquette, how to take tea, maybe some dancing lessons." She tried not to laugh at the expression on Wyatt's face.

"Tea lessons? Really?" His suspicious glance indicated he thought this was somehow her idea of revenge for him pushing her into the self-defense lessons. "Rufus, help me out here."

"I mean, it's not the worst idea," Rufus said, grinning. "We never know what kind of situations we'll find ourselves in."

"You seriously want to take tea and dance lessons?" Wyatt asked, incredulous.

"Oh, not me. There's literally no place in American history where the black dude is expected to know these things. I'll totally come and watch, though, in the spirit of team camaraderie."

"We'll talk about it later at the bar," Lucy told Wyatt.

He raised his brows. "Right. So you waiting around or meeting us over there?"

"Meeting you over there," Jiya said as she stood and grabbed Lucy's hand. "Sorry, but I'm starving so we'll order the first round and appetizers while we wait for you." She gave Rufus a quick kiss and then pulled Lucy behind her.

When Lucy glanced behind her, Wyatt was still watching them. She smiled and waved before following Jiya out.


Wyatt showered and changed quickly. He was waiting for Rufus on the mezzanine above the control area where the lifeboat was kept when he saw Agent Christopher walk out of her office down the hall. She waved her hand in his direction, her expression serious enough to spark concern.

He followed her into her office. "Is something wrong, ma'am?"

"I'm not sure. Have you ever heard of a group called Reliant?"

"They're a paramilitary group with ties to the CIA," he answered. "Their headquarters and training camps are in Virginia – they were actively recruiting me about two years ago. Why?"

Agent Christopher handed over a couple of photos. "Lucy's security detail clocked a couple of their members tailing her. They weren't being as secretive as one would expect."

Wyatt took the photos as he tried to tamp down on his sudden anger. Two men were photographed in a dark sedan, and he wasn't surprised when he recognized one of them. "This guy driving, I don't know. But the other guy is Steve Walker. We were in basic together and he was part of my unit up until he joined Reliant a year ago."

"I've spoken to my contacts at the CIA and no one ordered surveillance on Lucy. So whatever they're doing, they were hired privately."

"You think it's her mother?"

Agent Christopher sighed. "I suppose that's the best case scenario. I don't trust Carol Preston but in two days of questioning, I never saw any evidence that she wanted to harm Lucy."

But she would spy on Lucy. Wyatt had observed a few of the interviews in order to get a read on Carol Preston, and one thing he was sure of is that she didn't like that she'd lost the control she previously exercised over her daughter.

"I'd like permission to have a little chat with them," Wyatt said. "They were being open about surveilling her. Walker might talk to me."

Agent Christopher considered it for a moment before nodding. "Fine. Let me know if you find out anything."

Wyatt barely listened to Rufus as he drove them over to the bar, and Rufus noticed his distraction.

"Is something wrong?" he asked. "I saw you coming out of Christopher's office."

"Nothing I can't handle," Wyatt said. He scanned the area as he drove by the bar, and as he expected, a dark sedan was parked across the street. He pulled into a nearby slot that another car had just vacated. "I'll meet you in there in a few minutes. There's something I have to take care of."

Rufus hesitated but finally crossed the street to the bar. Wyatt strolled down the sidewalk until he reached the sedan. Walker was leaning against the passenger side. "Logan. Good to see you, man."

"Walker." Wyatt clasped his hand in a brief handshake. "Long way from home base."

"Well, you know how it is. You go where the action is."

"Right. And this time it's Lucy Preston?" When Walker didn't respond, Wyatt said, "Come on now, you obviously know about my connection to Dr. Preston since you let her security detail get a look at you. I know I trained you better than that."

"You know, I was surprised when I got this assignment. Pretty history professors don't usually need to be put up in a safe house, and they definitely don't need a security detail. Must be one hell of a special project she's working on for Mason."

Tired of tiptoeing around the topic, Wyatt asked, "Who hired you?"

"You know I can't discuss the clients," Walker replied. "But if it puts your mind at ease, we were hired as extra protection. Me tipping you off is a courtesy since she's a special friend of yours."

Walker's tone suggested he thought Wyatt's involvement with Lucy was personal, but Wyatt was careful not to react to the implication. "You can report back to whoever hired you that she doesn't need extra protection."

The other man shrugged and smiled. "Hey, it's a paycheck, right? A damn good one too, in case you're interested in another meeting with the CEO."

"Pass, but thanks." When Walker opened the car door, Wyatt added, "One more thing. You can tell Carol Preston that Lucy doesn't need anything from her. And anyone looking to go after Lucy will have to go through me."

The brief recognition that passed across Walker's face was enough to confirm Wyatt's suspicions about who had hired them.

Wyatt waited until the sedan pulled away before going into the bar. Spotting Rufus and Jiya at their usual table, he joined them. "Where's Lucy?"

"At the bar. She ran into an old friend," Jiya said. "I think he's just published a book or something because they're pretty caught up in a history discussion."

Wyatt looked over at the bar and sure enough, Lucy was perched on a stool talking to a tall man with rumpled blond hair and wire-rimmed glasses. They seemed to know each other pretty well – the man was comfortable enough to touch her arm as he spoke, and Lucy didn't pull away from him. She was usually reserved with people she didn't know well.

"Maybe he's an old boyfriend?" Rufus asked. "Ow."

Wyatt glanced at Rufus to find him rubbing his side and Jiya giving him a look that clearly said she thought he should shut up.

Rufus wasn't wrong though. The guy was around the same age as Lucy, and there was something almost intimate in the way they talked. They leaned toward each other, both using their hands a lot as they spoke. He also didn't miss the way Lucy's face lit up in response to the discussion. He took a moment to study the guy – pressed slacks, a white button down shirt, and a blazer were obvious signs he hailed from academia. It was a world he and Lucy had in common.

Something hot rose up in his throat, something he hadn't felt in a very long time. Jealousy. For a moment, the scene shifted and he was back in that dive bar with Jessica, watching her flirt with her ex-boyfriend. He shook the memory away and grabbed the pitcher of beer to pour a glass.

Wyatt was tempted to leave and go home, recognizing that he wasn't going to be the best company that night. But if he did, he suspected Lucy would call an Uber car rather than ask Rufus to drive out of his way. If he left he'd worry the whole time about someone following her, maybe taking her. Whatever Carol Preston was up to, he didn't trust her.

After another ten minutes of watching Lucy and her friend at the bar, he wanted to knock back something harder than a glass of beer. The irony was that the situation wasn't the same as Jessica at all. Lucy wasn't trying to make him jealous. She wasn't his wife or even his girlfriend. He knew he had no right to be mad at her, but he was.

And maybe this right here was the reason he'd been holding back with Lucy. Because if there was one thing he couldn't afford, it was to repeat his past mistakes when doing so could get her hurt, or worse.

By the time Lucy rejoined them, Wyatt had gone completely non-verbal, only speaking when spoken to. Even then his answers were short. Rufus and Jiya left soon after and Lucy ordered their food to go after shooting Wyatt a puzzled look.

"What is wrong with you?" she finally asked as he held the door open for her.

"Nothing. I'm just tired."

He scanned the area as they walked to his truck, but there was no sign of the Reliant detail. He only saw the usual agents assigned to Lucy.

Back at the safe house, Wyatt deposited Lucy in her apartment and escaped into his own. He wasn't hungry so he put the food in the fridge and poured a glass of whiskey, taking it to his bedroom. He sat on the edge of the bed and stared at the box he could see on the closet floor.

All of the clippings and evidence he'd collected about Jess's murder were now in that box. He'd meant to put them back up after he moved into the apartment; instead, they'd remained in the box. Wyatt drained his glass and stripped down to his boxers and t-shirt. He kicked the closet door shut before he turned off the light and went to bed.

A/N: This will be at least 2 parts, maybe 3 depending on chapter length. It follows a couple of weeks after "Contact" – I was given two prompts to use for this companion piece. "Wait a minute. Are you jealous?" (Lucy) and "Looks like we'll be stuck here for a while." (Wyatt) – the prompts come up later in the story. The title is also symbolic of where Lucy and Wyatt are at the moment, with regard to their personal relationship.

Please forgive any errors. No beta, so all mistakes are mine. If you see something very wrong, please tell me because tired eyes don't make for the best editing.

If you're reading, thanks! I'll get the rest up this week. And if you want to discuss the show, you can find me on Twitter and Tumblr, also as Poetgirl925.