I've changed the fic's rating to M due to Lucy getting rather descriptive towards the end of the chapter. Hopefully, this makes up for my cruel ending last time. We're nearing the beginning of the end, unfortunately, and I just want to say thank you to everyone who has read and commented (and not commented and admired from afar) on this story. I really enjoy reading everyone's thoughts, and your reactions to the last chapter absolutely made my day. Thank you.


Lucy's legs couldn't carry her up the stairs to the conference room quickly enough, and she only had the sense not to burst through the doors when she remembered Jiya's words.

Amelia's at school and Layla's taking a nap upstairs.

Wyatt was right behind her as she paused in front of the door. His breathing was shaky as he pressed a kiss to her cheek before turning the knob and entering the conference room as quietly as possible.

Layla was curled up in the corner of the room on a small cot, her favorite blanket wrapped around her small body, her fingers tangled in her hair as she slept soundly.

"Thank goodness," Lucy breathed, falling to her knees by Layla's cot and kissing her daughter's head. She was safe.

Wyatt breathed a sigh of relief above her, and she turned to watch him scrub a hand down his face; he had been just as worried. She wondered how often this fear engulfed them on these trips in this timeline. If every time they got into that time machine, they knew they might come home to a timeline where two little girls didn't wrap themselves around them instantly, this time because they no longer existed.

He gently crouched beside her, scooping Layla into his arms, holding her close against his chest, careful not to wake her. She turned in his arms, pressing her small nose into his chest as she continued to sleep soundly, and Lucy's heart tightened at the sight.

"Let's go home," Wyatt whispered, and Lucy reached up to kiss him quickly. "We'll wait for Lia." She nodded and they left Mason Industries, Wyatt with Layla in his arms, and Lucy with her daughter's forgotten blanket wrapped tightly in her hands.


Lucy woke to the sound of the door closing downstairs. Her eyes opened to the sight of dark unruly curls, soaked with sweat, stuck up against her cheek. She sat up, looking around.

She was in Layla's room.

Layla was still asleep, her curls matted to her forehead and Lucy gently brushed the soft wisps away, stroking her daughter's cheek.

"She's still asleep?" Wyatt asked from the doorway, and Lucy looked up, nodding. "Come on," he whispered, holding his hand out. She stood from Layla's small bed and took his hand gratefully, clutching it like a lifeline.

"Is Lia home?" she asked as Wyatt closed Layla's door behind him. He nodded, gesturing to the stairs. Lucy could hear her other daughter now, making noise in the kitchen as she unpacked her school stuff and pulled out all of her homework.

Lucy and Wyatt padded their way downstairs and watched as Amelia rummaged through the refrigerator for an afternoon snack. Lucy's hands shook as she walked up to Amelia.

"Mom?" Amelia muttered around the chocolate chip cookie she'd just shoved into her mouth. Lucy just sighed, pulling Amelia into her arms, holding her tight. Amelia huffed as she was squeezed, but her arms quickly wound around her mother's middle, gently rubbing up and down her back as she realized her mom was upset about something.

Amelia glanced around her mom's waist at her father, who was watching her with the same awed look in his eyes, as if he couldn't believe she was really there.

Something must have happened in the machine they climbed into in their funny outfits all the time.

"Mom, it's okay," Amelia whispered as Lucy knelt down to envelop her daughter in a tighter hug, and Amelia lay her head on her mom's shoulder. "I'm okay, I promise."

She wasn't sure how long she stood there, wrapped in her mother's disbelieving embrace, but she knew that she wasn't getting in trouble for spoiling her dinner that night.


Long after the girls had both been put to bed, Layla having woken up halfway through Lucy helping Amelia with her homework and demanding animal crackers, Wyatt and Lucy collapsed into bed, still in their clothes. His fingers danced up her sides, eliciting a small shiver as she curled her body further into his, entangling their legs as she kissed him.

"Hey, Luce," Wyatt whispered between kisses as Lucy's fingernails gently scratched over his chest. "We still need to talk about what we heard." Lucy pulled back, shaking her head, her eyes wide.

"I can't think about that right now, okay?" she murmured before kissing him again.

Wyatt knew her better than anyone, in this timeline and in her original timeline, so he knew exactly what she needed. She needed to unwind, to let go, and he helped her do just that, discarding her dress as he pulled the covers up over them, kissing Lucy fiercely as she frantically undid his belt and used her feet to push his pants off his hips.

Lucy wasn't sure she'd ever get used to this, the absolutely euphoric feeling of Wyatt moving inside her, her naked body pressed against his, his hands everywhere. She didn't want to think, she just wanted to feel. They didn't talk, the bedroom completely silent save for her breathless moans every now and then as he brought her closer and closer to the edge.

Afterward, once Lucy had dragged Wyatt into the shower and returned the favor, she and Wyatt collapsed back into bed, fully dressed in pajamas this time.

Wyatt's fingers toyed with her wet hair as she relaxed back into his chest. Lucy sighed contentedly as he lingered kisses across her hairline and his other hand brushed up and down her arm as she curled into him.

"Are you ready to talk about it now?" he whispered and Lucy wrapped her arms around his middle, burying her face in his chest. "Come on, Luce, it'll make you feel better to talk about it."

"It'll help me get over the hump, right?" Lucy mumbled, and Wyatt frowned down at her.

"What does that mean?"

Lucy sat up, looking up at him. She paused, frowning softly as she remembered that she never crashed her car into the river. She never had a panic attack in 1944 and Wyatt never talked her down, helping her get 'over the hump'.

"Oh," he muttered, realizing. "Is that from the other Wyatt?" Lucy nodded slightly, relaxing back into his arms.

She wanted to tell Wyatt everything, she did. But, per usual, she was having trouble figuring out where to begin. It was all just too much, and she clung tighter to him as she worried the weight of it would crush her completely.

"Who's Noah?"

She stiffened in his arms. Of course, he wouldn't know who Noah was; she'd been married to him for eight years in this timeline.

"He's, um, my fiance," Lucy mumbled, turning to bury her face in his chest. He huffed a laugh, thinking she was teasing. She turned her face up, bright red though it was, staring up at him. She was serious.

"He's your what?" Wyatt asked, sitting up straight, pulling Lucy with him. She curled against his chest, staring up at him. "You were engaged in your timeline? Why didn't you say anything?" Lucy tilted her head, squinting into space as she tried to think of how to tell him.

"He's not actually my fiance," she began, biting her lip. "See, I came back from the Hindenburg, and Amy was gone, as you know." Wyatt nodded, frowning as he waited for the explanation regarding her fiance. "Well, that's not all that I came home to. I also came home to find out that I was engaged to a man named Noah," Lucy paused, squeezing her eyes shut, "who I'd never met before."

Wyatt was silent as Lucy huffed a sigh and slowly opened her eyes. He was staring at her, completely dumbfounded, but thankfully not angry in any way. He just seemed… shocked.

"You mean, this has happened before?" he muttered, frowning at her. "You, coming home to a new significant other, that's happened before?" Lucy nodded and Wyatt shook his head in disbelief. "Why the hell wouldn't you tell me that, Lucy?" Lucy flinched at his words and he quickly wrapped his arms around her, soothing. "Sorry, I'm not mad," he promised and she relaxed in his hold. "It's just, don't you think that's kind of important to know?"

"To be honest, I'd completely forgotten about him," Lucy admitted, smiling softly up at him in apology. "Around the time we went to the Rittenhouse summit, I broke off our 'engagement' and haven't seen or heard from him since," she explained, Wyatt laughing at her use of air quotes.

"Emma wants you with him," he reminded her gently, and Lucy sat straight up as the previous night came rushing back at her.

"Rittenhouse wants me with him," she corrected, her eyes widening. "Wyatt, I never told you. They knew who I was." Wyatt nodded.

"No, you did tell me that," he whispered, his hands on her arms, trying to soothe her. Lucy shook her head emphatically.

"No, they called me by name. They knew who's child I was, even though my father couldn't have been more than five years old at the time." Wyatt frowned at her as Lucy felt her breath coming too quickly, choking on air. "One man said they were all proud of me, or would be proud of me," Lucy explained breathlessly, and her vision darkened as she tried to focus on Wyatt, who was slowly beginning to panic at her lack of breathing. "And then he winked," she mumbled, on the verge of hyperventilating.

"Hey," Wyatt's voice sounded so far away, like she was underwater. Was she drowning? Was it happening now because it hadn't happened all those years ago? "Lucy! Hey, look at me, baby, right at me." Lucy tried to focus on his voice, but she couldn't see properly anymore. Everything was a blur. She couldn't catch her breath and the water was closing in all around her. She couldn't breathe.

Wyatt's hands were cool on her face as he dragged her closer, and suddenly she could see again. His forehead was pressed up against hers, their noses brushing. His eyes were closed, and she couldn't hear what he was whispering but she was willing to bet it was her name followed by a string of endearments. She focused on him, smiling as her vision sharpened and she could hear his voice clearly again.

She closed her eyes, pressing her forehead up against his as she took deep, deliberate breaths. He held her close as she regulated her breathing. They both opened their eyes at the same time, pulling away to gaze at each other.

"Better?" he whispered, stroking his thumb over her cheek. She nodded and he pulled her into his chest, kissing the top of her head.

He lay down, Lucy still wrapped in his arms. "It's just, what if they find out about you, or the girls?" she mumbled. "I don't want anyone getting hurt because of me." Wyatt's arms tightened around her.

"We're going to figure everything out, Lucy," he whispered into her hair as she sighed softly against his neck. "I'll do everything in my power to keep you and the girls safe. I promise you." Lucy nodded gently, her eyes already sliding shut, lulled into a state of comfort by the rise and fall of Wyatt's chest under her cheek and they both drifted off to sleep, knowing they'd be rudely awakened by Emma taking the Mothership out in just a few short hours.


By some stroke of luck, Amy is over visiting with the girls the next morning when Wyatt gets the call that Emma has taken the Mothership to December 6, 1941. Hours before the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

Lucy nearly spins herself into a proper panic attack as she contemplates all the things Emma could do that would change the course of history, alter their timeline until it would be virtually unrecognizable.

Well, more so than it already was, Lucy thought.

Wyatt attempts to calm her down as the girls watch wide-eyed as their mother struggles to keep her breathing even, the millions of possibilities flitting through her mind, but it's Amy that brings her back to reality.

"Lucy," her voice barrels through all the jumbled thoughts lost in her mind. Amy's gripping her shoulders firmly, her eyes are wide but determined, focused only on her sister. Lucy immediately calms down as her sister begins to inhale and exhale at an exaggeratedly slow pace. "It's okay. I'll stay here with the girls. You go save the world."

That gives Lucy pause, but Wyatt isn't phased by Amy's directions.

Amy knows about time travel.

She must. How else would she know that Lucy's essentially going to save the world? Amy smiled softly at her sister, rubbing her shoulders gently. "Lia, Layla," she called over her shoulder, and the girls perked up immediately, both looking worriedly over at their mother. Lucy offered them a bright smile, trying to assuage their fears as Amy grinned at them. "How would my two favorite princesses feel about staying with Aunt Amy today? Mommy and Daddy have to climb into their funny machine." The girls' eyes widened as their faces absolutely lit up at the prospect of spending the entire day with their aunt.

"We would like that very much, Aunt Amy," Layla said politely, twirling in place, barely unable to contain her excitement. Next to her, her sister nodded enthusiastically, biting her lip to hold back the squeal that was no doubt threatening to emerge.

Wyatt laughed at the girls and Lucy smiled at her little family. She turned back to Amy, smiling brightly, now completely calm from her panic moments ago.

"Thanks, Ames," she whispered, pulling her baby sister in for a hug. Amy laughed as she hugged her sister back, and Lucy fought back the tears that were threatening to spill over as she realized she was hugging her baby sister once again. Amy patted Lucy on the back, pulling away.

"It's no problem, Luce. We'll destroy your beautiful home together, so enjoy your time wherever you're going," she teased. Lucy only laughed, knowing her sister was joking.

Well, hoping she was joking.

She and Wyatt quickly collected their things and headed to Mason Industries, Lucy waving goodbye to the three girls waving from the porch as they sped off.


Being in a war zone with a soldier was oddly satisfying. Wyatt had taken control as soon as the Lifeboat had landed, making sure Lucy and Rufus stayed close behind him. His hand never left Lucy's as they made their way through the crowds of soldiers, searching for a shock of red hair in the sea of uniforms.

"What could Emma do, exactly?" Rufus whispered, struggling to keep up with Lucy and Wyatt. "Could she stop the bombs?" Lucy shrugged helplessly as Wyatt paused on the side of a building, peeking around the corner.

"Today, they'll spend hours trying to decode Japan's intercepted message that basically tells Japan to cut ties with Washington. They then drop two waves of atomic bombs on Pearl Harbor, killing thousands of soldiers and civilians. The United States declare war on the Empire of Japan because of it." Lucy shook her head, going through all the ways Emma could screw this up in her mind. "She could do anything, she could decode the messages earlier, and potentially save all these people. Or, she could ensure that the U.S. aircraft carriers are still in the harbor and kill thousands more. She might be able to intercept one of the Japanese planes and divert one of the bombs into hitting a different target." Wyatt squeezed her hand as she shook her head again. "There are a number of things she could do, so we need to find her first and stop her."

"Well, that shouldn't be too difficult," a deep voice came from behind Rufus. All three time-travelers spun around in time to see one of Emma's goons pull Rufus away and lunge for Lucy.

"Hey!" Wyatt pulled his gun, aiming to kill, but the goon held Lucy up in front of him, using her as a shield.

In another timeline, Wyatt might have risked the shot, but in this one, there was no chance he'd ever do something that could endanger Lucy's life in the slightest.

"She just wants to talk to the princess, and then you'll get her back," the goon explained, his grip around Lucy loosening, but still tight enough that she couldn't get away. "You have my word."

"What the hell's your word mean to me?" Wyatt sneered, glaring at the man. The man grinned, baring crooked teeth.

"I guess you'll have to find out."

And with that, Lucy was swept up by the man, thrown over his shoulder once more, screaming Wyatt's name as they barreled through the crowd.


Lucy stumbled gracelessly as she was tossed off of the man's shoulder in an army barracks. Emma turned around, smiling down at Lucy as she scrambled to stand her ground.

"Fancy meeting you here, princess," Emma grinned. "I knew you'd take the bait and follow me out here. Not to worry, I don't plan on doing anything here today. This went exactly as it should have."

What?

"Do you mean Rittenhouse planned this attack to begin with?" Lucy whispered in disbelief. Emma tilted her head, frowning into space.

"Not exactly, but we knew it was coming, and we didn't exactly want to stop it." Lucy shook her head as Emma continued. "I'm here for a different reason, actually, but I'm mostly here to speak with you, princess."

"Why do you keep calling me that?" Lucy asked, gritting her teeth. "My mother said I was like royalty, not that I specifically was royalty." Emma grinned again, stifling a chuckle.

"Isn't that what you refer to an heir as? A princess?" she asked, smirking. "You, Lucy Preston, are destined to lead Rittenhouse as your mother has been for many years. Noah is also destined to lead alongside you." Lucy's heart sunk as the gravity of the situation became clearer. "Noah has been promised to you since before you were born," Emma paused, taking a calculated step closer to Lucy. Lucy didn't move. "But, you knew that already, didn't you?"

Emma knew.

She knew that Lucy had been in 1961. She knew that Lucy had heard everything Emma had discussed with Joe Kennedy. She knew the time travelers would chase her here and lured Lucy into her trap. She knew everything.

"But, that's not why I wanted to speak with you," Emma continued, turning on her heel and staring dramatically out a small window, up at the sky. "Tell me, how is your dear husband doing?"

No.

Emma turned back around, delighting in the look of pure horror on Lucy's face. "Oh yes, princess, I know all about this alternate timeline you've somehow gotten yourself into. The internet back in the present is still very useful when it comes to marriage license records." Emma turned back around as Lucy held back the sob that had caught in her chest.

She knew about Wyatt. She might know about the girls.

"I suppose 'congratulations' are in order. I understand you recently celebrated your eight-year anniversary to the young Master Sergeant."

All Lucy could allow herself to think about was that the footwear Emma had chosen was horribly inappropriate for the current situation. No one in Pearl Harbor would've been wearing such high heels. The click of each heel on concrete was a stab to Lucy's heart as she paused right in front of Lucy.

"In the interest of fairness, seeing as you will undoubtedly become my boss in the future, I'm here to warn you." Lucy looked up at that, her eyes filled with tears. "I know how resourceful you can be, Lucy. Find a way to switch it back to the original timeline, or I'll do everything I can to get rid of your beloved soldier."

Emma smiled briefly before walking past Lucy, straight for the door. Her goon, whose name Lucy couldn't remember nor bothered to ask, opened the door and they both stepped aside.

"As promised, I only wanted to talk to you, Lucy," Emma said, nodding toward the open door. "You're free to go."

Lucy bolted for the door, not sticking around any longer to find out if Emma ever really meant for her to get back to her team safely.

She ran through the crowds, shoving into soldiers as she fought her way back to where she'd last seen Wyatt and Rufus. Halfway there, she realized they would've gone after her initially, then headed back to the Lifeboat for when she came back. Lucy turned around, heading away from the military base and off to where they'd parked the Lifeboat.

She heard him before she saw him.

"Lucy! Thank god!" Wyatt's arms wrapped around her instantly as she clung to him, the tears coming hard and fast now that she was back in his arms. Emma was going to kill him. If Lucy didn't figure out how to get back to the original timeline, Emma would surely kill Wyatt and the girls, if she ever found out about them. She had to protect her family.

Lucy pulled away slightly to press her lips to his, insistently. She kissed him deeper and rougher than usual, all the panic and fear and desperation and passion melting out of her as she clutched his shoulders. Wyatt responded fervently, neither of them realizing, or caring, that Rufus was mere feet away from them, in the Lifeboat, getting ready for takeoff.

She could lose him. The next mission, even, if she wasn't careful. Lucy could lose Wyatt.

That wasn't going to happen.

Lucy reluctantly pulled away, breathing heavily as she rested her forehead against his. His fingers had tangled themselves in her hair, and his thumb softly brushed the tears away from her cheek.

"Are you okay?" he whispered, worry coloring his voice. Lucy nodded. "Did she hurt you?"

"No," Lucy breathed. "No, she just wanted to talk."

"About what?"

She couldn't tell him. He'd go after Emma now. She'd lose him today if she told him that Emma knew everything and would inevitably find out about the girls. She wanted to preserve this for as long as possible.

So, instead of telling him everything that had just transpired, she simply said, "I'll tell you when we get home."

Wyatt nodded, gripping her hands firmly in his and leading her back to the Lifeboat. Lucy was still silent as his hands deftly secured her seatbelts and tightened her harness. His hand found hers, and she quickly brought it up to her lips, kissing his knuckles as the time machine rattled and shook around them.

She never wanted to let him go, but she knew she'd have to.


They arrived back at Mason Industries to confusion; they'd only been gone for a few hours, as opposed to the fifteen to sometimes forty-eight hours trips they usually took.

"Emma was there," Lucy replied when Agent Christopher asked what had happened. "She just wanted to talk to me."

"Well, what did she say?" Agent Christopher demanded. Lucy exchanged a look with Rufus and Wyatt, and Wyatt came to her rescue, as he always did, wrapping an arm around her waist.

"All due respect, ma'am, Lucy has had a rough day. Can you wait to read her report?" he asked politely. Agent Christopher really looked at Lucy now, and she must have been quite a sight because Agent Christopher sighed and said that was fine. Wyatt pulled her to the wardrobe dock and handed her the clothes she'd been wearing a few hours ago.

Lucy changed quickly, still in a state of worry as she realized what had to be done. She should talk to Rufus, make a plan, figure out how to do what she knew had to be done.

All she really wanted to do, though, was hold her girls and hug her sister and make love to Wyatt.

She rested her hand in his as they drove back to the house, knowing the girls would be confused, but excited, when their parents showed up at a decent hour.

The girls were indeed shocked when Lucy and Wyatt opened the front door, but not as shocked as Lucy was at the state of her house.

She usually prided herself on keeping a clean home, but this was over the top. Amy and the girls each wore long yellow gloves that ran up to their elbows and the girls' hair was pulled up into messy pigtails, small bandannas wrapped around their heads. Their gloves were dripping with soapy water as Lucy took in the sparkle and shine of every surface in her home. They'd dusted, vacuumed, polished, and swept every surface, making it look brand new.

Lucy choked up and Amy quickly stood, smiling at her sister.

"You seemed stressed when you left, and I know your job couldn't have made that any better, so we decided to do something nice!" She threw her arms out, gesturing around the house. "It was actually the girls' idea." Lucy sniffled as she knelt down to wrap her girls in her arms.

"Thank you," she whispered, squeezing her daughters tight, making them both giggle as their small arms encircled their mother. She kissed them each on the cheek before letting them go. "Thank you so much, Ames, it's just what I needed." Amy waved it off.

"Eh, little sisters can be helpful sometimes," she murmured. She looked pointedly at Layla. "Remember that, small one." Layla giggled, nodding, as Wyatt scooped her up into his arms. Amy turned back to Lucy, smirking. "But, don't get used to this. We are totally destroying your house next time I come over. I'm talking silly string and feather pillows." Lucy laughed, internally mulling over what her sister had just said.

Next time.

But, there wouldn't be a next time.

Amy left shortly after that, and since Lucy and Wyatt were home at a decent time, they grilled burgers for dinner while Lucy listened to the girls tell her all about their day.

"It was like we were actual princesses, Mommy!" Layla squealed, her hands throw into the air. Lucy giggled at that, leaning down to level with her.

"You are an actual princess, baby," she whispered before kissing Layla's soft cheek. Layla still giggled but didn't pull away; not since her revelation about kissing. Amelia grimaced and Lucy leaned over to kiss her cheek as well. "You too, Lia." Amelia huffed a laugh and smiled at her mother.

Lucy tried not to dwell on how true that statement was. It wouldn't be true for them. She'd make sure to protect them.

After dinner, and the girls had brushed their teeth and taken their baths and fallen asleep in their beds, Lucy and Wyatt showered and changed into their pajamas, crawling immediately under the covers.

"Are you going to tell me what happened at Pearl Harbor?" Wyatt murmured as he wrapped Lucy in his arms, holding her close.

She knew she should tell him.

He had a right to know that when she latched her mouth onto his, her fingers sliding up under his t-shirt, that she was memorizing the feel of his muscles underneath her touch, desperately worried that she might forget. She should tell him that when she pulled his t-shirt off a moment later and traced every scar and bruise on his body with her tongue that she was trying not to cry as she realized she might never get to do this again.

He needed to know as she slunk down his body, pulled his pajama pants down, and took him in her mouth that she was doing this because it might never happen where she was going next.

He needed to know she was saying goodbye.

But she didn't tell him.