Awe.

That's the only way Lucy could describe the way she was feeling. Awe. Get Flynn back. She had lost that idea, that dream, when she walked out of São Paulo and back into the bunker, to Denise and the girls asleep in the room she used to share with Wyatt. She couldn't sleep that night. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw that look on his face when she said his name. Those eyes, that sadness, and below it all, his humanity. A part of her felt guilty – she didn't realize till that moment, she was the reason he wanted to burn the world to the ground. She knew she changed the narrative, but it was still the same – he was gone and she was here. She dreamed, for awhile, about getting him back. The Lifeboat was still there, with auto pilot. She could do it. Her and Wyatt rarely fought, but about that, they fought for weeks. That was the first time he threatened to leave her, and take the girls. If she did this thing, they would definitely be gone when she got back.

She just stared at the back of Paulina's head as they walked back to the house. Get Flynn back. There was no way.

They emerged from the tree line and she realized that Paulina never once asked for directions back to the house. She didn't even hesitate. She just walked up to the back door Lucy had left wide open, holding it open for her. Lucy trudged through, straight to the couch. She watched Paulina walk slowly around her small living room, eyes wide, like she just stumbled on to missing historical artifacts.

"It's so weird to see you in a wedding picture with Wyatt Logan" she said, holding up one of the few pictures that were still out from that day. She mostly left it out for Flynn. Flynn enjoyed looking at the photos from that day.

"I don't understand" Lucy whispered. Paulina started to open her mouth when the watch on her wrist beeped loudly. She dropped the bag she was carrying on the chair, digging into it, pulling out a medicine bottle. She dumped 3 rather large, dark black pills into her hand. "Can I get some water?" She asked. Suddenly, Lucy felt like a terrible host. She jumped off the couch, grabbing a glass and filling it with water, hurrying back.

"I'm so sorry! I should have…" Lucy trailed off and she started to laugh, hysterically. She fell back on the couch, the laughter taking over. The ridiculousness of this entire situation. Finally, her laughter trailed off.

"Better?" Paulina asked, throwing the pills in her mouth, chasing them with the water. She sat down in the chair and Lucy nodded, running her hands through her hair.

"What were those?" Lucy asked.

"I'm not 100% sure what's all in them, but they help with the side effects. Mason has some crack scientists that found a break through on that aspect."

"Mason?" Lucy asked.

Paulina nodded. "Yeah, don't let him fool you. He's not given up the dream quite like you all think he has." Lucy rolled her eyes. "Of course not. Ok. I'll have to unpack that later. I want to get back to the pills. So, those…"

"They keep the headaches and all the rest of the stuff at bay when you travel to your own timeline. Plus they help with the motion sickness in general. As long as I take them about every 4 hours while I'm out, I'm good."

"Wait" Lucy said, holding up a hand. "Traveling into your own timeline. So you are…"

"Yeah, I'm around in this time line. And not. I've been doing this for awhile."

"How old are you?"

"I think I'm 26 or so. I've kind of lost track."

"Lost track of how old you are?" Paulina just nodded. "Look, Lucy. While I'm able to hold the side effects off with the pills, it's not fool proof."

"Got it. So… you said… that you were here to help me get…" She trailed off. His name always got stuck in her throat.

"Flynn. Lucy, I need you to say it. Flynn."

"Flynn" she pushed out. She wasn't sure she had actually said his name in years. Sure. She yelled it a lot at her daughter, but she was able to compartmentalize the insanity of that.

Paulina smiled. "Feels different than when you yell it at your kid huh?"

Lucy's eyes went wide. "You know about my kids?"

"Lucy I know everything about you. I'm kind of your biggest fan. And you have quite a few of them."

"What in the hell are you talking about?"

Paulina reached back into her bag, pulling out a large, well used book, dropping it on the table. Lucy thought maybe she needed one of Paulina's magic black pills, because looking at the front of the book made Lucy's head swim.

A book. With her name at the bottom as the author. Timeless. Lucy picked it up gently, like it would disintegrate in her hands.

"This is mine?" She asked quietly, looking at Paulina.

"It is. Lucy, that book… it changed an entire generation, including me. The idea of time travel, the thought of going back and experiencing history, saving the world in the process. Fighting those who want to take down what makes this country and us great. It's taught in schools and college classes take entire semesters to discuss small parts of this book. It's part of what inspired me to create that machine out there. But one day, it started disappearing. I've got one of the last copies left. It started slowly. Like I was talking to a friend of mine who was just as obsessed with it as I am. I mentioned a pretty popular quote in passing, one that she should have gotten right away. She asked me what in the world I was talking about. That's how it started. This book started disappearing and I knew I couldn't let that happen. So, I'm here."

Lucy just stared at her. "I don't understand…"

"I know. I know you don't. Because your circumstances… as it stand, right now, you aren't going to write this book. That can't happen. You have to write this book."

"What's different?"

"Flynn. That's what is different. Lucy, he was never supposed to sacrifice himself. He was never supposed to die, especially not alone on a beach as a John Doe. Yeah. You still ended up with Wyatt, for awhile. You still have the girls. But it ended, when the girls were much younger than they were when it ended here. You are supposed to be here this week, that's right. The girls always leave with Wyatt this week. But Flynn is here with you. He's the one, over wine and candlelight, that talks you into writing this book." Lucy didn't believe it. None of it. Paulina could tell.

"Open the book to the first page, Lucy."

She slowly opened the book in her hand. To the dedication page. And there, after thanking everyone who helped her get this done, including her girls and Wyatt, at the bottom…

And to my love, Garcia… thanks for the initial push. You are the reason this ever started. All my love.

"What the hell" she said quietly.

"Maybe I'm closer to 30" Paulina said, staring at the ceiling. "What year is it?"

Lucy's eyes went wide. "It's…"

Paulina shrugged. "Never mind. Doesn't matter. Who knows? It gets hard to keep track. Anyway, so this book. Lucy, you have to write it. It becomes one of those books – like The Great Gatsby or Catcher in the Rye or To Kill a Mockingbird."

"So this is fiction?"

"Of course. Like time travel is real" Paulina replied, with an exaggerated wink. Lucy started to laugh. "You are a strange bird, Paulina."

"You aren't the first person to tell me that. Garcia Flynn is the catalyst. In all your interviews and book tours, you say flat out that he was the one that pushed you to start writing this. Let me ask you – feel like writing a huge novel with history and war and love?"

"I feel like drinking all the wine in my kitchen and turning on Netflix."

"See. Not great writing conditions. So we have to go get him. So you write the book." Paulina yawned as she finished that sentence. "We should probably get some sleep first. And you need to take some of these" she finished, throwing the bottle of pills at Lucy.

"Are they safe?"

"Enough." She replied, holding out the half empty glass of water to Lucy. Lucy shook out two pills and swallowed them. "Remind me when this is over to call Connor. I think me and him and Rufus need to have a long talk."

"I would highly recommend that. Where can I sleep? When my watch goes off for the next dosage, we are leaving. 4 hours isn't a lot, but I recommend you get what you can."

Lucy directed her to her bedroom, claiming she could sleep in Amy's room. The truth was, Lucy didn't sleep much, and when she did, it was usually on the couch in the living or the futon in her office. Being alone in her bedroom gave her too much time to think. To remember. Paulina was out as soon as her head hit the pillow and Lucy turned off all the lights, pulling the throw blanket over her, falling asleep to the thought of seeing Flynn again made her fall right to sleep.