"Wyatt! Wyatt! Have you even heard I single word I said?"
Blinking suddenly, Wyatt snapped to his senses, painfully aware by the amused expressions on the faces of most of the inhabitants of the bunker that his lack of attention to the situation at hand had not gone unnoticed. It had definitely not gone unnoticed by Lucy, who, besides Agent Christopher, was the only one looking at him in huffy indignation as she waited for an answer to her question.
Wyatt shifted uncomfortably and cleared his throat, "I heard you…we're going to San Antonio. The Vaudeville Theatre Ambush."
Lucy startled, obviously surprised that Wyatt had actually processed that bit of information since almost as soon as she had started talking his face had gone a little slack, his eyes unfocused…looking every bit the part of someone who had their head in the clouds and not in the moment where it belonged.
The truth of the matter was that Wyatt hadn't been paying attention. He heard the initial mission report of San Antonio - 1884, had heard Lucy respond with the Vaudeville Theatre Ambush, and his imagination had taken off from there. Determined to be more aware, so that he wouldn't draw any more unwanted attention to himself, Wyatt turned his head towards Lucy as she gave him one more appraising glance before continuing on with her spiel.
Despite turning his full attention to Lucy, once again he found his mind wandering as he watched in growing adulation the way her pony tail bounced every time she emphasized a point, or the way her face would scrunch up when she was thinking, or the way she just looked so damn adorable in her oversized sweater.
Rufus must have noticed that Wyatt's mind was once again not on the task at hand because he coughed very loudly and shot a meaningful glare at Wyatt when he automatically turned to look his way at the sudden interruption to the sweet, dulcet tones of Lucy's voice.
Shit.
He needed to pull himself together.
Moments later had him racing down the hall to the LifeBoat while the rest of the team waited impatiently for the Delta Force soldier. "Sorry" he breathed as he clambered through the hatch and sat down in his appointed seat.
"You know they have bathrooms in 1884." Flynn remarked dryly as he fastened his safety harness.
Wyatt shrugged him off, "Who said I was going to the bathroom, Triple A? You gonna give me a run down on all the good places to eat and where to buy crappy souvenirs too?"
Lucy shot an annoyed glance between the two of them, "Can you both just try to get along for one mission?"
Wyatt winked at her, "Sure. Anything for you, ma'am." he said with a smile as Flynn rolled his eyes.
"Rufus, are we about ready to launch? I'd like to save my retching for after the time jump." Flynn complained with a glowering stare at Wyatt who was still smirking at Lucy with a faraway look in his eye.
When the LifeBoat materialized in the mild Texas spring of 1884, Wyatt was the first to exit so that he could assist Lucy out of the open hatch. Her 19th century corset and bustle may have caused her considerable grief in the comfort and mobility department, but Wyatt wasn't one to complain when it gave him ample reason to put his hands around her waist and draw a steadying arm through hers. Rufus and Flynn might have shot him dubious glances from time to time whenever they found themselves in a time period where Lucy was thus attired, but Wyatt did not care. He was pretty sure that if Jiya had made more jumps to the past with them, Rufus would be doing the same damn thing. Besides, he figured, in their line of work, it wasn't at all inappropriate for two co-workers to commit to their undercover roles as husband and wife in order to better blend in to whatever environment they happened to find themselves inhabiting for the space of a few hours. So yes, Wyatt would take Lucy's arm a little more often than necessary and land uninhibited kisses on her cheek, her hand or even, if the occasion called for it, her lips – the fact that they were an actual couple was just an unintended bonus. Professionalism be damned – they had a role to play and boy, did they ever play it.
Lucy sighed out her thanks offering him a soft smile before Rufus and Flynn practically stumbled out of the LifeBoat onto the dusty patch of Earth they had landed upon. The foursome made their way from the city outskirts and found themselves walking down a bustling Main Street, before Lucy stopped them all and pointed to the crumbling chapel of the Alamo mission propped up against a large two story mercantile store. Shielding her eyes from the already high in the sky sun, Lucy looked over her shoulder at her traveling companions and remarked with a smirk, "Looks a bit different than the last time we were here, doesn't it?"
"You mean, the fact that there's not an army of 2000 Mexican soldiers and Flynn camping out over there getting ready to kill us?" Rufus remarked with a raised eyebrow at a scowling Flynn, "Yup…I'd say it's a hell of a lot different this time around."
"Keep it up, Rufus and you might not survive this time around." Flynn muttered as he brushed
past them.
"We should probably keep moving anyway, the red-light district is this way" Lucy remarked as she moved forward down the street, "It's kind of a rough area. Full of gamblers, gunfighters, prostitution….on a high note, though, there was no segregation in this part of town…they treated all patrons the same regardless of skin color."
"Nice to know that if I wanted to drink, gamble or get laid I have the same opportunity as Flynn…and Wyatt." Rufus chuckled to himself.
Lucy huffed out in indignation and turned to say something to Wyatt, only to realize with a gasp that he wasn't there. She spun around on the spot and retraced her steps only to find him, his brow furrowed in concentration, walking aimlessly in the middle of the street next to the Alamo Chapel.
At least, she thought he was walking aimlessly. Why else would he be standing in the middle of street, dodging horses and carriages as they bolted along?
"Wyatt!" she hissed as she grabbed his arm, "You are going to get yourself killed!"
"Huh?" he asked as she pulled him along, "Oh, I'm sorry I didn't realize you were waiting for me."
"We weren't." Lucy admitted with a huff, "What is with you today? You seem to be a thousand miles away."
He looped his arm though hers and brought her hand up to his for a kiss, "Sorry, about that ma'am. I promise, you've got my full and undivided attention from here on out."
Lucy eyed him warily as she rubbed his arm, "Are you sure you're okay?"
It was a fair question. The last time they were in San Antonio he had been plagued by the tell-tale signs of post-traumatic stress. He had been the lone survivor in a desperate mission in Syria and the similar helpless situation they found themselves in during that trip to 1836, had brought those memories back full force. He had been ready to give it all up, to sacrifice himself for the team, before Lucy had brought him back to his senses and made him realize that he meant more to both Rufus and Lucy than that of just the hired gun for their missions.
Wyatt smiled down at Lucy as he patted her hand, "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"
Lucy shrugged in bewilderment as they rejoined Flynn and Rufus who were leaning against a hitching post. "What's the matter, Wyatt? I thought you'd be excited to come back to the Old West? Gunslingers, cowboys…"
Wyatt narrowed his eyes, "I don't know, Flynn…the last time I met a gunslinger it didn't end up so well. So, no, I can't say I'm a huge fan."
Lucy cleared her throat as she marched on, the memory of her first "kill" plaguing her like the ghosts of Texas' fallen heroes. She had done it so that he couldn't hurt anyone else, she had done it so that Wyatt could keep his word, but she had also done it because Jesse James was not supposed to be alive…his murder had been prevented by Garcia Flynn. And had he done with his unsolicited reprieve? Did he turn over a new leaf? Vow to take his brush with death as a sign to repent and start life anew? No. He left a litany of dead in his wake…most of whom had been killed long before their time. She couldn't allow him the opportunity to change history any more than he already had…it meant risking another situation like Amy; someone else could have been erased, forgotten…and who would know? She wasn't sorry she had done it, but she wasn't proud of it either.
"But I also wouldn't say I wasn't excited to come back to Texas." Wyatt muttered almost to himself.
"Oh really?" asked Rufus. "Because the last time we were here was so much fun? Don't you remember the nearly dying? The just escaping by the skin of our teeth?"
Wyatt shrugged, "Yeah…but it wasn't all bad."
Rufus gaped at him as Lucy cleared her throat, "We should keep moving."
"What's the rush?" Rufus asked, "I thought this ambush didn't go down until around 10:30 tonight?"
Lucy rolled her eyes, "Yes, but that doesn't mean that Emma won't be nosing around here before then. Maybe we can figure out her intended target before all hell breaks loose."
"Remind me again, what this ambush is all about?" Wyatt muttered as he leaned his face close to her ear.
"Aha!" Lucy exclaimed triumphantly, "I knew you weren't paying attention."
"I may have been a little distracted." Wyatt admitted.
"Distracted?" Lucy asked with a quirked brow, "distracted by what, exactly?"
"Oh, like he needs to spell it out for you." Rufus huffed out indignantly. "I swear I don't know how either of you get any actual work done with the googly eyes you make at each other all damn day."
"What the hell are you talking about, Rufus?"
"Don't play innocent, Wyatt." He stared back at Lucy and Wyatt who were both looking at him in utter disbelief. "What, you think that people don't notice the way you two stare at each other all the time? Flynn, tell them."
"It's pretty nausea-inducing." Flynn agreed lazily.
Lucy flushed, "Well...I didn't think we were that bad."
"Oh it's bad." Rufus nodded eagerly. "I'm sure if we had a Human Resources department they'd be all over your asses."
"And you and Jiya?" Wyatt countered in frustration, "What's that?"
"That's different. Jiya isn't traipsing through history with me. You two treat these missions like you're on a date or something."
"Oh yes, some date." argued Lucy, "Where we're stuck wearing uncomfortable clothes and running for our lives…kind of hard to fit romance in there, don't you think Rufus?
Rufus gave them a withering glare and silently pointed to the arm Wyatt had snuggly wrapped around Lucy's waist. "I rest my case." he said simply.
She turned to Wyatt with a whisper, "Maybe he's right. Maybe we should try to be a little less…us…on the missions."
Wyatt frowned thoughtfully as he watched Flynn and Rufus make their way across the dusty street, "I thought that's why we always played a couple when we went off on these missions….so we could still be us on these missions."
Lucy stopped suddenly and put her hands to her face, "Oh my God. He's right isn't he? We treat these missions like dates, don't we?"
"C'mon, Lucy….that's crazy!" Wyatt argued, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized that Rufus was right. Being stuck in the bunker gave them little opportunity to go out together like normal couples…and yes, they had game nights and movie nights but those were usually with Rufus and Jiya. The only time they got to themselves was when they were on a mission and split off from the other two…so they usually made the most of it. Hell, in 1941 they most definitely made the most of it.
Shit.
He and Lucy looked at each other a little shame-faced, until Wyatt piped up again. "Well, it just goes with our cover…I mean, we usually play a couple when we do these things so why wouldn't we be together?"
"Do you think that maybe we should…I don't know…split up…like you and Rufus?"
Wyatt gave her a doubtful stare, "And you and Flynn?"
"Oh come on, Wyatt, he's on our side now…he's not trying to kill us anymore." Lucy explained as Wyatt held out his arm to keep Lucy from stepping in front of a passing stage coach.
"I still don't trust him…least of all with you." Wyatt muttered as they finally began making their way across the street to join the others.
"We'll figure something out…but I really think that maybe we should, just for the time being, humor them, don't you?"
No. Wyatt didn't think they should humor Flynn or Rufus. But it was fine, really…because if all went as planned this evening, he would not give a damn about what Rufus or Flynn had to say about anything. Not that he currently gave a damn about what they said, but Lucy…he was doing this for Lucy. He knew she cared more for what others thought about her professionally than he did in terms of "playing by the rules" and so if that required him to take a step back and admire her from a distance, so be it.
Wyatt sighed, "You're going to need a new alias then, ma'am."
"I've got one already planned out." Lucy nodded at him. "Mattie Ross." She said as they joined the others.
"Mattie Ross?" asked Rufus, "as in True Grit Mattie Ross? Is that who you decided to be?" Rufus sized up Wyatt with a sneer, "Let me guess, Wyatt is Mr. Ross?"
Wyatt perked up a bit at that thought, but Lucy gave him a remonstrative stare before explaining to Rufus, "There is no Mr. Ross…but," she turned to Wyatt, "what about LaBoeuf? He was a Texas Ranger, after all."
"I don't want to be LaBoeuf." Wyatt complained.
"Well you can't be Mr. Ross" she hissed at him with pleading eyes, "It's just for this mission, Wyatt."
He rolled his eyes, "Fine...I'll be Matt Damon."
"And Flynn is Rooster Cogburn?" Rufus asked. "I think Flynn could pull off the role of a grumpy, obstinate U.S. Marshal."
Flynn glared at Rufus, "And who are you going to be? Chuck Norris?"
"Hell no." Rufus spat out, "I'm going to be Sheriff Bart. I even have this awesome badge Agent Christopher brought in from her kids' costume stash"
"From Blazing Saddles?" Wyatt asked in exasperation.
Rufus shrugged, "I happen to like Mel Brooks…if it's all the same to you." he added roughly as he snatched his badge out of Wyatt's hands.
Wyatt chuckled as they meandered down the street…doing his damndest to keep his hands to himself so as to not offend the sudden prudishness of Rufus…and not so sudden prudishness of Garcia Flynn. Lucy shot him flirtatious glances every once in a while, which would set his heart on fire…but since she was "Mattie Ross" and he was relegated to "not Mr. Ross" on this mission, he decided that he would play by the rules and keep the rest of the team happy.
They soon found themselves in the midst of what could Rufus described as a "wretched hive of scum and villainy." Wyatt smirked at the Star Wars reference but made no endeavor, however tempting, to pull Lucy close as he scanned the streets that were filled to the brim with the some of the shadiest characters he had ever laid eyes on. The red-district was apparently THE place to be in San Antonio. There were theaters, saloons, and brothels as well as gambling palaces galore.
"Whoa," said Rufus as he scanned the street with wide eyes, "this is like Vegas before there was Vegas."
Lucy nodded as she watched her male companions take in the sight of the saloon girls that were sitting lazily on the balcony of one of the brothels. "Yes, well let's just pop those eyeballs back inside our heads, shall we? We have a job to do."
"Whatever you say, mom." Rufus muttered dejectedly.
"Very funny, Rufus. I'm sure Jiya would be very interested to know that you were practically drooling into your bandana."
"You wouldn't..." Rufus said as he gaped at her.
"Oh wouldn't I?" Lucy challenged. "Let's just keep our eyes off of the scantily clad women and look for Emma, alright?" her gaze lingered on Wyatt for a beat who looked absolutely affronted by the silent accusation she was lobbing his way.
After meandering through at least a dozen small groupings of filthy and disgusting cow hands, the foursome found themselves facing the scene of what would be known as the Vaudeville Theatre Ambush. The theatre seemed a very popular place, even during the afternoon. It sat nearly at the end of the block and had a large placard above its doors making it absolutely impossible to miss. Lucy pointed towards the theatre and turned to Wyatt, "Since you weren't listening back at the bunker, that's the site of the ambush…in case you were wondering."
He gave her a withering stare, "I got that, Professor…what the hell is Emma doing at an ambush?" He bit his lip in thought, "No…let me rephrase that…why is Emma interested in this particular ambush?"
Lucy shrugged, "I'm not sure…that's why I thought it best that we take a look around for a while…see what we can find out about her motives or who her targets might be."
"Well, what's the story?" Wyatt asked as Flynn rolled his eyes. "I know…I should've been paying attention. I'm sorry…but do you mind giving me a rundown so that I have some idea of what's going to go down tonight?"
Lucy shook her head in exasperation, "That theatre was owned by a man named Jack Harris. Two years ago, King Fisher…who was a notorious gunman and his friend and lawman, Ben Thompson killed Jack Harris in what was deemed self-defense."
"I'm sensing that ruling pissed a few people off." Wyatt said as he crossed his arms over his chest.
Lucy nodded fervently, "Yes, Ben Thompson was very unpopular in San Antonio after all of this occurred and today he comes back to town on business and meets up with Fisher and a few old friends of Jack Harris. Those men will lead them to a theatre box tonight, and while they're getting settled, those old friends of Jack Harris will step aside while hidden gunman shoot Fisher and Thompson in cold blood."
"So, Emma could be after Harris' friends?" Wyatt asked.
"Could be…who knows? Maybe she's not even here for this…maybe she came to kill someone else. This is the Old West after all." Lucy said with a shrug.
"Well," sighed Wyatt. "We're not going to find out anything standing here…I say we do a sweep of the buildings, ask some questions, see if we can find out what her plans are."
"Probably cover more ground if we split up." Flynn suggested.
"Yeah, we already know…you and Lucy…me and Flynn" Rufus muttered.
"No." piped up Wyatt with a sideways look at Lucy. "We were thinking that maybe we could switch it up a bit…since you know, you are clearly jealous that Lucy gets to spend so much time with me."
"You mean it? You two aren't going to be on this mission together?" Rufus gaped.
"That's right." said Lucy. "We'll split up…if that would make you happy."
Rufus and Flynn shrugged as they two new groups set off in opposite directions. Flynn and Lucy down one side of the street and Rufus and Wyatt on the other. Despite his resolution to the contrary, Wyatt couldn't help but watch with mounting anxiety as Flynn and Lucy made their way down the street together. It didn't end there, either. Every time Rufus and Wyatt emerged from another saloon or gambling house, his eyes would be scanning the street in search of Lucy.
After several hours of this, Rufus rounded on Wyatt, "What the hell, man? I almost think it's worse when she's not right beside you."
"What?" Wyatt asked in exasperation, "I'm just worried about her, okay? This isn't exactly the best neighborhood."
"Yeah, but she's with Flynn. He may be a damn psycho, but in this case, that's not a bad thing." Rufus argued.
"Yeah, I guess you're right." Wyatt admitted as he looked back over his shoulder towards the other side of the street.
As night fell on the red-light district, the crowds became rowdier, the establishments, busier, and Wyatt was having a hell of a time keeping his head anytime he saw a horde of drunken bastards throw themselves at the very few women who were present. What the hell could they be doing to Lucy. He wasn't sure he wanted to know, but then again, he was kind of desperate to find out if she was alright.
He and Rufus had just entered a particularly loud and rowdy saloon…the air was filled with smoke and the whole place was jam packed. So much so that you could barely move. Wyatt made to push his way towards the bar when Rufus slapped him on the shoulder, "Flynn's already here." he yelled in his ear.
Sure enough, there was Garcia Flynn leaning over and chatting with a group of men at a card table. But where the hell was Lucy? Wyatt's heart was in his throat, until he finally caught a glimpse of her, squeezing her way through the crowd in an attempt to get to Flynn. That was when a particularly seedy bunch of drunken assholes grabbed at her arm and pulled her towards their group. Wyatt nearly climbed over the card table in his way in an attempt to get at her. The man who had grabbed her, was just setting her down on his lap and breathing into her neck that she was "Mighty perty." when Wyatt appeared at her side.
"You want to get your hand off the lady, pal?" he growled.
"I saw her first, you git yer own."
Before another second had passed, Wyatt punched the offending asshole square in the face, which, unsurprisingly, caused a bit of scene. Punching out as many of those bastards as he could reach, Wyatt managed to drag Lucy out from among them and station her safely behind him. If those assholes hadn't been so drunk, it might have turned into an all-out rout, but as it was most of the other patrons just laughed as they watched the nearly toothless band of troublemakers fall over themselves repeatedly in their attempts to get a swing in at Wyatt only to be sent sailing backwards when his fist connected with their jaws. Flynn and Rufus eventually made their way over to assist Wyatt but found that their services in the fisticuff department were not needed. Instead, Wyatt handed Lucy over to Rufus and instructed him to get her the hell out of there.
After several minutes, Wyatt emerged from the saloon, flushed and sweaty but essentially unhurt. Foregoing any stupid arrangement made earlier in regards to professionalism, Wyatt wrapped his arms around Lucy and kissed her hair.
"Holy shit, Wyatt…you're gonna get us all killed – you almost started a bar fight!" Rufus exclaimed.
"That was a bar fight." Flynn observed.
"Well, I wouldn't have had to do that if Flynn had been watching out for Lucy." Wyatt spat out angrily.
"That's my fault." Lucy squeaked. "I had to go to the bathroom….I couldn't hold it anymore…I was just making my way back over to Flynn when I got grabbed."
Wyatt stared at Flynn accusingly. "What, did you really want me standing guard outside of the outhouse?" Flynn argued.
No. Come to think of it, Wyatt didn't want Flynn posted outside of an outhouse while Lucy took care of business. But he also didn't want Flynn to be the one watching over Lucy. That was his damn job…and if they ever found out what Emma was up to and they got out of this damn district, he could get Lucy alone and…
Wyatt suddenly had an idea.
"Look, Lucy has been running around in her God-awful heel boots all day, she's in a damn corset...why don't we let her have a break?"
Lucy shook her head, "Where on Earth do you suggest we go, Wyatt? Look around…every inch of this place is swarming with…"
"Assholes." Wyatt finished as he eyes a ragged band of rowdy cowboys grabbing lustfully at a barmaid who had come out to serve them their drinks.
"What time is it?" Lucy asked impatiently as her own eyes darted around.
"It's 9:30" Flynn drawled as he checked his pocket watch.
"Dammit," Lucy breathed out, "one more hour of this."
Wyatt threw back his head in exasperation, "Lucy, do we really need to be here for this ambush?"
Lucy gaped at him, "We have no idea what Emma is up to, Wyatt."
"Yeah, but Lucy…why don't we let Flynn and Rufus worry about Emma, and you and I can get out of here?" Wyatt pleaded.
Lucy looked up at him helplessly, "My job.."
"Your job is to lead us in the right direction and tell us what's supposed to happen. You've done that," he nodded towards Rufus and Flynn, "I'm sure they can handle it from here, right guys?"
Rufus, who trusted Wyatt far more than he trusted Flynn was about to protest, but one death glare from Wyatt had him changing his head shake to a head nod muttering. "N…yeah…we've got it, Lucy. Me and Flynn…alone…with a gun…that he has."
"Flynn?" Wyatt asked with raised eyebrows.
"Yeah, yeah, I promise I won't kill him." He said with a roll of his eyes.
"Great, then it's settled. We'll meet you guys back at the LifeBoat." Wyatt quipped as he quickly pulled Lucy away down a side street.
Once out of the red-light district, the streets around the rest of San Antonio were quieter, less rowdy…almost peaceful. Though Wyatt hadn't originally planned on splitting from the team early, he could not help but feel that the opportunity that had come from the Lucy's unfortunate encounter with a toothless jackass was almost serendipitous.
As soon as he had heard the words "San Antonio" uttered from Jiya's mouth that morning, his mind had not been fully on the mission. He did not care what Emma was up to, his focus was on something far more important. This place held a special meaning for him…for them…and coming back here, so close to where she had torn down the emotional barriers he had set up around his heart, was the opportunity he had been waiting for.
The night was cool and clear. Walking arm and arm with Lucy down the thoroughfare they had passed through earlier that day, caused him to slow their pace down to a leisurely stroll. If Lucy noticed the change, she didn't mention it. She merely tucked her arm closer to his and rested her head his shoulder. He led her along slowly, casually now…taking in sights that were not in existence the last time they found themselves on this patch of ground. Lucy dropped Wyatt's arm and was exclaiming in disgust how the chapel that they had sought refuge in during the siege was now nothing more than a storehouse. She was speaking passionately about the men whom they had met, who had sealed their fate at the Alamo and how disrespectful it was to prop up a General Store right on top of where so many had died.
But Wyatt wasn't quite listening.
Instead, he was observing his position in relation to the chapel, constantly looking over his shoulder, crouching down every once in a while, before popping up again, moving a few steps away and repeating the process.
Lucy was oblivious to these goings on until she turned to ask him if he had still had the knife that Jim Bowie had given him. Seeing Wyatt, once more, aimlessly shuffling from place to place, looking over his shoulder at things that weren't there, Lucy was again, struck with the idea that he was having some sort of flashback.
Her brow creased in concern, she was about to rush over to his side, when he stopped finally with a satisfied grin on his face and said "Here."
"Hear? Hear what?" Lucy said as she tiptoed her way over to him. "I don't hear anything."
Wyatt let out a short laugh, "Not hear….here." he said with emphasis as he pointed to where he was standing.
"Oh…"said Lucy confused, now. "I don't get it."
Wyatt took her hands in his and crouched down on the ground, pulling her down with him, "Does this help?"
Lucy looked around in bewilderment as she and Wyatt were crouching in the street next to the large mercantile store that she had deemed to be such a travesty. "Hmmm…not really." She leaned over to him and whispered harshly "Wyatt, why are we sitting in the middle of the street?"
"Think back to 1836." he said simply.
She looked at Wyatt's face, full of expectation and took in her surroundings. "Well, it's hard to pinpoint exactly where we are….and without the Mexican army scaling walls that don't exist anymore," she furrowed her brow in thought, "I'd say we were somewhere close to the barracks."
Wyatt smiled and nodded his head, "Anything else?"
She sat back on her haunches in thought, her bustle keeping her lifted slightly from the ground. Why on Earth would he drag her into the middle of the street to remind her about the Battle of the Alamo? Out of all the missions they had gone on, she thought that that one would be the one he would be most anxious to forget. Leaving all of those good men behind to die? And that's when it hit her, "I seem to remember some reckless hot head telling me that he was going to sacrifice himself so that we could escape to safety." she said with a quirked brow.
Wyatt nodded his head as he took her hands in his, not daring to look up at her face, "Until some bossy know it all came along and told me that wasn't an option." Wyatt huffed out a sigh and Lucy startled to see that he had tears in his eyes, "You told me you trusted me that day…and Lucy, I know I've done a lot of stupid things to break that trust but I…God, I hope that I have earned some of that back."
Lucy cradled his face in her hands and she was immediately transported to that mission in 1836. He had the same desperate look in his eyes, the same anguish clouding his features, "Wyatt," she sighed, "we've been over this…you were only doing what you thought was right. You were loyal to your vows…I'm the one who told you to be loyal to your vows. How could I blame you for that?" Wyatt frowned slightly, which made Lucy become more insistent, "What I said then? Back in 1836? It still stands, Wyatt. I trust you...there isn't anybody else on Earth that I believe in and rely on as much as you."
Wyatt shook his head, "I don't deserve you, Lucy." She gave him a dubious look as he continued, "You know, you saved my life that day," he smirked at her, "in more ways than one."
"So I've been told." Lucy answered with a grin. "But you know, I saved your life a couple more times after this so…"
Wyatt raised his eyebrows as he grinned broadly, "Oh, no doubt about that, ma'am. You, Lucy Preston, are my hero."
She smiled and leaned forward, giving him a chaste kiss as she hummed in agreement, "And you are mine. All kidding aside Wyatt, there is no way I would be able to do any of these missions without you. You may be a reckless hot head, but I kinda need that reckless hot head. I think tonight was proof of that."
Wyatt's face broke out in a devilish grin, "What a coincidence, because I" his eyes locked on hers in an earnest plea, "kinda need you too."
Lucy was so transfixed by the desperation in his eyes that she hadn't even noticed that Wyatt was holding something out to her in his hand. When she finally did look down, she gasped at the diamond ring cushioned in a black velvet box. Her mouth hung open in shock as she breathed out, "Oh my God, Wyatt…"
He scrunched his face up in frustration, "Dammit…I…you were supposed to be standing up when I did this. Um…let me try that again."
"No…don't." Lucy shook her head as tears fell from her eyes.
Wyatt stared at her as disappointment and heartbreak immediately darkened his features. Shame-faced, he made to put the ring away and stand up, before Lucy reached out to him desperately, "Oh my God, No! No, no, no, no."
Wyatt sat back in relief and looked at her with sarcastic frown, "My ego can only take so much, baby doll. No need to rub it in."
Lucy rolled her eyes and pulled him back down to her, "You know that's not what I meant! It was perfect just the way it was." She planted a searing kiss on his lips, a kiss he returned full force before pulling back and leaning her forehead to his, "Yes, Wyatt. I will marry you."
"I haven't asked you that yet, ma'am." Wyatt muttered with a smirk.
"Oh yeah…right…sorry" Lucy sat back in anticipation as Wyatt pulled out the ring box again shooting her a look of mock annoyance as he did so. She sat next to him in giddy expectation, and though Wyatt had been determined to get through this proposal without kissing her senseless, he found that task to be quite impossible when she was looking oh so lovely in the moonlight next to the Alamo…in the very place that she had saved his life. Before he could get the question out, he found his lips to be grazing hers ever so gently, his hands cupped her face and moved into her hair pulling her closer, until his kisses became desperate and more demanding.
"I knew it! Rufus' voice rang out through the night. "Do you see this, Flynn? They tricked us into dealing with Emma so that they could run off and make out like a couple of teenagers." Rufus looked around puzzled. "In the middle of the damn street, no less. Seriously, you two? What the hell?"
"Oh my God, Rufus." Wyatt breathed out as he broke away from Lucy, "I will give Flynn permission to shoot you right here and now if you don't get the hell out of here."
Looking highly affronted, Rufus gaped at Wyatt, "Hey! I'm not the one making out in public. Didn't we just have a conversation about this? Do you even care about the ambush you missed?"
"Did we miss it? Because it seems to me we're dealing with one right now." Wyatt spat out.
"C'mon Rufus." said Flynn with a knowing smirk, "I'll teach you how to read a room."
Lucy and Wyatt watched them go as their voices trailed off somewhere into the night, only looking back at each other when they were sure Rufus wouldn't come rushing back to interrupt them once more
Thirty minutes later, Wyatt and Lucy arrived at the LifeBoat grinning goofily, completely wrapped up in one another. Rufus, still bitter about the turn of the night's events, gave them a less than warm welcome as they made their way into the time machine. "I hope whatever it was you were doing was worth sacrificing the mission for…you know we never did find Emma. All hell broke loose in that damn theatre and Flynn and I were left looking like a couple of idiots."
Flynn looked at the pair with wizened eyes, "Oh, I'm sure it was worth it, Rufus."
"Really, Flynn? Why? Because you know how to "read a room"? Rufus mimed with his hands as he turned back in his seat bitterly.
"No," said Flynn lazily as he observed Lucy's left hand, "because she said yes."
"WHAT!?" exclaimed Rufus as he quickly spun around in his chair.
His exclamation of surprise and excitement was somewhat lost on the happy couple. Wyatt was far too busy buckling her in, smirking at her and kissing her hand while she was looking at and paying attention to nothing but him.
"You know what this means, don't you?" Flynn asked Rufus.
"Yeah," Rufus breathed out, "Good-bye Matt Damon, hello, Mr. Ross."