Two days pass and all Lucy has the emotional capacity to do is sleep and eat just enough to keep herself alive.

It's odd being in Wyatt's kitchen without Wyatt, but it's almost like living alone, and she's beginning to dread what it will be like when he returns from the infirmary. Of course, she'll worry about him constantly because if she knows Wyatt at all, he'll make light of his injuries and try to do too much at once.

Rufus and Jiya stop by, and Jiya still doesn't know why Lucy's so upset, but she sees through her lies just as easily as Wyatt had.

Lucy's also dreading having Wyatt back because she's not sure she'll be able to sleep in the same house as him again while keeping the friendly boundaries they've both wordlessly agreed on.

She's not stupid; she knows her and Wyatt aren't just friends. Far from it, in fact. That talk about 'possibilities' floats through her mind, more often now than before, and she tamps down any hope that rises from it. Nothing remotely pertaining to the possibilities he was seemingly willing to explore all those months ago has come up, and he's pretty much been a boyfriend-without-benefits since finding out her mother's involvement with Rittenhouse and deciding on his own that she was no longer safe.

She'd moved in with him, for goodness sake. They were living together. Apart from Noah, she'd never lived with another man in her entire life, and Noah didn't technically count since that hadn't really been her.

Wyatt was the first and only man she'd ever willingly coexisted with.

It's been three days since she was supposed to have cinnamon rolls at Wyatt's bedside, since she found herself on the doorstep of her alternate home, when a key fits into the lock and the front door swings open, Wyatt pushing his way into the apartment, grunting as the heavy door falls back into his injured arm.

"Oh, my god!" Lucy immediately shoots up from the couch where she'd been researching historical points branching from Dallas 1947, forgetting for the moment that this isn't her husband.

"Nope," Wyatt mumbled as he hobbled his way through the door. "Just me," he teased, smirking at her, his face covered in a thin sheen of sweat. Lucy rolled her eyes as she carefully helped him to the couch.

"What are you doing here? I thought I was coming to get you tomorrow," Lucy admonished as he sat back into the couch cushions with a low groan. She tried not to think about the last time she'd heard him groan like that, and what she'd been doing to elicit such a sound.

"Lucy, be honest," he started, quirking an eyebrow up at her. "Did you really think I was going to stay there for one more night?" He kicked his feet up on the table as Lucy sighed, frustrated with him. "Besides, they said I'm fine."

"Oh, really?" Lucy asked, folding her arms across her chest and popping her hip out as she regarded him with raised eyebrows. "And, what did the doctors say, exactly?" He glanced up at her, and she could see the faint color in his cheeks as he avoided her gaze.

"I'm still grounded from missions for four more days," he murmured, tilting his head onto his shoulder, turning towards her as she gingerly sat down beside him, watching him carefully. "But, they said I could go home as long as I stayed on bed rest."

Lucy kept her eyes trained on his every move, solely attuned to every flinch he tried to hide from her as he tried to settle further back into the couch. She laid a hand gently over his arm, her thumb brushing back and forth soothingly.

It was exactly the same as the alternate timeline. She already knew how to handle a whining Wyatt in pain, and it was bound to be easier without two little girls to worry about.

That thought gave her pause, and she stiffened beside him, trying to compose herself. She moved to pull her hand from Wyatt's arm, but he reached out, curling his fingers around hers.

"Lucy," he breathed, and she closed her eyes, still absolutely in love with the way his voice caressed her name. "What's going on with you?" he whispered, his hand gently squeezing hers. She sighed, choking back a sob as she remembered the other Wyatt whispering her name so reverently, and how she only wanted Wyatt, real or alternate, to say her name like that ever again.

She shook her head, trying to pull away, but his grip tightened and he pulled her into him.

"Rufus said you got hurt," he whispered, pressing lips to her hair, and she shuddered at the familiar touch. "Who hurt you?" he asked, his voice strong. Lucy gently pulled away, resting her head on his shoulder, gazing up at him. His casted arm reached up to brush away the tears that had spilled over without her notice and she shook her head.

"It was more of a circumstance," she quietly admitted, staring into space as she remembered the life she'd left behind. "Something happened, and it just made me realize some things." Wyatt nodded, listening intently, and she absently wished he wasn't so nice to her. It would be much easier to fall out of love with him if this Wyatt wasn't so much like the other Wyatt.

She wanted to move closer, wanted to let him wrap her up in his arms, cry into his shoulder, unload all of her pain and grief on him. But, Emma's threat rang in her ears; she'd kill Wyatt. Lucy had saved her daughters, but this Wyatt could still be in danger. She couldn't allow herself to be with him until she'd gotten rid of Rittenhouse once and for all and had destroyed any possibility of having Wyatt taken from her in order for their plans to succeed.

"Are you okay?" he whispered as she continued to stare off into space, contemplating her life now. She nodded slowly, offering him a small smile. He shook his head, closing his eyes. "Please don't lie to me, Lucy. You know I know you better than that," he breathed, gazing at her.

A sob caught in Lucy's throat as she looked at him, her eyes pooling with tears. "I can't tell you everything," she whimpered, the tears beginning to slide down her cheeks, and the pain in his eyes broke her heart even more. "I'm so sorry, Wyatt, but I just can't right now."

He nodded, shushing her as he pulled her back into his side, tucking his good arm tightly around her, and she let him. She buried her face in his shoulder, her tears staining his shirt.

"Just know," he began, and his voice cracked, thick with emotion, and she felt terrible for making him feel responsible for her sadness. "When you're ready to tell me, whoever it is that hurt you, I will make them pay." He spoke through gritted teeth, a stark contrast to the gentle circles he was rubbing into her back as she pressed herself against him. Lucy swallowed another sob, trying to control her tears, nodding absently into his shoulder.


A siren pulled Lucy out of a dead sleep, and she stirred, mumbling something about the window as she snuggled further into her pillow. Her pillow grunted as her arm collided with a soft shell, and her eyes slowly opened.

She was on the couch, though more accurately she was on top of Wyatt, his good arm holding her flush against his chest, his hand splayed across her back. Her hands rested on his shoulders, her elbow having nudged his casted arm accidentally in her sleep. She gently edged away, blushing as she felt the hardness in his jeans against her thigh.

Lucy carefully lifted herself off of him, trying not to jostle him as she stood from the couch. She stifled a yawn as she slowly padded her way into the kitchen, grabbing his pain medication and a glass of water from the fridge.

"Wyatt," she whispered, walking back to the couch, leaning over him. He stirred, mumbling something incoherent, and she giggled, setting the water down on the coffee table. She leaned closer to him, tucking her hair behind her ear and gently shaking his shoulder. "Wyatt, come on," she muttered a little louder.

He looked just as peaceful in his sleep as he did in the other timeline, and Lucy couldn't resist the overpowering urge to gently brush his hair away from his forehead, her fingertips scratching gently across his scalp.

He moaned softly and Lucy quickly yanked her hand away before she lost control completely. Wyatt's eyes blinked open and he smiled sleepily up at her. Her heart ached in her chest as she smiled back at him. His sleepy smiles had always been contagious.

"Who's the Sleeping Beauty now?" she teased as he eased himself up into a sitting position. "Take your medicine," she instructed, holding out the painkillers and the glass of water.

"Thanks, Luce," he mumbled in a soft voice as he popped the pills into his mouth, swallowing them down with a gulp of water. She smiled as she sat beside him on the couch, patting his knee.

"You should drink all of that water," she urged, gently pushing the glass back up to his lips. He chuckled into the water, but obliged, taking a longer sip. "I'm gonna head to bed in my room," she whispered, and he nodded as she got up from the couch, making her way to her room. She could feel his eyes on her as she pushed her bedroom door open.

Lucy stood stock still in her room, listening to Wyatt move in the living room. The kitchen light flicked on as she heard him refill his glass of water to take to bed with him. The kitchen light turned off and she heard him slowly shuffle toward his room. She fiddled with the chain of her locket, a habit she'd let go of in the alternate timeline once she realized Amy was no longer lost. She didn't let go of the breath she'd been holding until she heard his door close behind him, followed by the soft creak of bedsprings.

Lucy quickly changed into her pajamas, slipping underneath the sheets of her bed and turning out the light.

She tried to control herself as she realized her pillow still smelled like Wyatt.


Waking up hours later to the birds singing outside her window, clutching a pillow that smelled like Wyatt, was a rude awakening for Lucy. Her eyes snapped open, hoping that she'd somehow ended up in the other timeline again, and her pillow smelled like Wyatt because it was Wyatt.

Lucy frowned as she realized it was just a pillow and sat up in her bed, listening carefully for Wyatt's gentle snores across the hall.

Nothing.

A million different scenarios flitted through Lucy's mind as she carefully got up from her bed, her feet padding toward her door. What if Emma had gotten to him while she'd been asleep? What if he was already gone? What if she hadn't been able to save him, no matter how hard she'd tried?

Panicking, she threw open her bedroom door, peeling out into the living room, looking around frantically. Where was he? Why wasn't he here?

She tore through the apartment, yelling his name, her breaths coming in short, quick bursts as she collapsed onto the couch, her head in her hands.

He was gone.

She'd lost him. Somehow, and she wasn't sure how exactly, she'd lost him despite trying to protect him. Emma must have gotten to him. There hadn't been any broken glass, but she wasn't in the right state of mind to be noticing details like that. How had she done it? Lucy's vision began to blur, and she was vaguely aware of someone yelling her name, arms gripping her shoulders and pulling her into a firm, soft pillow.

Fingers gently carded through her hair and she struggled to catch her breath as the distinct scent of Wyatt overwhelmed her senses. Her fingers instantly curled around him and she buried her face in his chest as she struggled to control her breathing.

He was okay. He was safe.

He rocked her back and forth as she caught her breath, and she pulled away to look up at him, needing to see for herself that was real. He gently brushed her hair away from her face, frowning softly at her.

"Lucy, I understand that you can't tell me everything," he muttered, "but you need to tell me something," he pleaded. "You're starting to scare me." She took a deep breath, pulling away, but his arms encircled around her didn't let her go far. His blue eyes were clouded with worry, and she smiled gently at him.

"I was worried that Rittenhouse had come after you," she admitted. His brow furrowed as he gazed down at her. She shook her head, brushing it off. "It was just a stupid dream I had, that they'd gotten you, and when I didn't hear you snoring, I just assumed the worst and-"

"Panicked," he finished softly for her, nodding. "That makes sense," he muttered. Wyatt smirked down at her, tilting his head. "But, I don't snore." Lucy rolled her eyes, a genuine smile gracing her features.

"Yes, you do, Wyatt. We've been over this," she giggled, slapping his shoulder playfully. His arms had slid down to rest on her waist now, and her arms had somehow ended up wound around his neck as she smiled up at him.

It was the most at peace she'd felt in days.

His thumb brushed absently across the hem of her top as he smirked down at her. It would be so incredibly easy to just pull him closer, slide her fingers up into his hair, and drag his mouth down to hers. Maybe she would stop feeling so empty inside if she could use him to fill up all the spaces left hollow from leaving her family behind in the alternate timeline.

That wasn't right, though.

She smiled stiffly at him then, gently pulling away out of his grasp. He cleared his throat, nodding to the research still strewn across the coffee table from yesterday afternoon.

"What are you working on?" he asked, and Lucy turned to glance over her work. She'd been researching Dallas in 1947, trying to figure out what Emma had been doing there. She hadn't found them as quickly as she'd found them at Pearl Harbor, so that mission had been planned, but Lucy couldn't figure out what for.

No one of any real importance had been in Dallas in 1947, as far as she could tell.

"Emma hasn't taken the Mothership out since you got hurt," Lucy murmured, reaching over to stack her research into a neat pile. "Well, besides the one mission we went on without you." Wyatt nodded, frowning at her. "I think she knows you're hurt," she admitted quietly, glancing up at him.

"And she's giving us all a break until I'm back in commission?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Lucy shrugged. "Maybe?"

"Well, that's kind of a relief, because I really don't want you going on anymore missions without me," he admitted quietly, his eyes soft as he watched her warily. She nodded.

"I can understand that," she whispered. He leaned back into the couch, tucked against her side as she looked over her notes again.

"Teach me something, ma'am," he teased her, and she smiled brightly as she glanced up at him. He grinned at her, folding his hands in his lap. She bit her lip, stifling a giggle.

"Alright," she acquiesced. "What do you want to know?" He nodded toward her research again.

"What makes you think Emma wants to do something in Dallas in 1947?"

Lucy stiffened, her eyes going back to her research. "Oh," she floundered, trying to think of a response. "Well, I mean, it's just something she said on the mission we went on with Teddy." Wyatt nodded for her to continue, but before she could, there was a knock on the door.

Wyatt was on his feet instantly, his hand moving to his side holster as he crept toward the door. Lucy sat stock still on the couch, her heart beating erratically as Wyatt pulled his gun out, edging toward the door.

"Guys, it's me," Rufus' voice called from the other side of the door, and both Wyatt and Lucy instantly relaxed as Wyatt opened the door, tucking his gun back into his holster.

"We should come up with a secret knock or something so you don't give us a heart attack every time you visit," Wyatt mumbled as he let Rufus in before closing and locking the door securely behind him.

Rufus sat next to Lucy, smiling gently at her and she sighed, leaning into his shoulder.

"Secret knock sounds cool," Rufus murmured as Wyatt took a seat on the arm of the couch. "Just wanted to see how you guys were holding up," he admitted, turning to Lucy.

"Well, since you asked, I do have to use the bathroom," Wyatt mumbled, and both Rufus and Lucy chuckled as he quickly made his way to the restroom.

As soon as the bathroom door closed, Rufus turned toward Lucy. "Okay, what's going on? Why do you look like you've been crying?"

Lucy took a deep, shuddering breath. "I can't do this, Rufus," she whispered, her voice catching again. "I just can't, it's so hard being around him and knowing he's not really him. I have all these memories of us being together, and being with the girls, and they all mean nothing, now." Lucy shook her head as Rufus' arm curled around her shoulder, pulling her into his side. "I don't know if I can keep up this charade that everything is okay."

"I meant what I said before, Luce," he murmured. "If you need a place, my door is always open." Lucy nodded, glancing up at him. "It might be easier to be around Wyatt on missions if you aren't living with him," he trailed off.

Lucy bit her lip, thinking it over. Rufus definitely had a point; she would be able to keep Wyatt safe as long as she kept her distance and let Rittenhouse believe they weren't anything more than colleagues.

Before she could respond, the bathroom door opened and Wyatt was back. She smiled warmly at him as he took a seat beside her, asking what he missed. Lucy exchanged a look with Rufus.

Though she didn't particularly like it, she knew what she had to do.


In the interest of full disclosure, and because Wyatt refused to rest if Lucy was around, Rufus and Lucy left to meet up with Jiya and tell her why Lucy was suddenly moving in with her boyfriend.

"Hey, guys," Jiya greeted them as they slid into their regular booth at Portola's. Jiya kissed Rufus quickly, snuggling into his side as Lucy sat stiffly opposite the pair. "What's up? What did you want to talk to me about?"

Rufus nodded expectantly at Lucy and she took a deep breath, placing her hands on the table to stifle the shaking. Jiya frowned, turning to face Lucy as she cleared her throat and began.

"While Wyatt was hurt, Teddy came with us on our mission, as you know," Lucy muttered, and when Jiya nodded, she continued. "Well, we haven't been entirely forthcoming about what happened on that mission. The truth is, we haven't been back for months."

"What?" Jiya frowned, chuckling softly. "What do you mean 'months'? You were only gone for eighteen hours." Lucy shook her head sympathetically.

"No, we were gone for about two months, in an alternate timeline."

Jiya stiffened at that and Rufus threw a comforting arm over her shoulder, rubbing her arm gently. Lucy struggled to hold back a wistful sigh as she remembered how Wyatt would comfort her in a similar way.

"I don't understand," Jiya murmured. "If you've been gone for two months, where have you been? How did you get back?"

"That's the tricky part," Rufus supplied. He turned to Lucy, noticing her shaking had gotten somewhat worse. "Do you want me to tell her?" he asked softly. Lucy looked up at him, her eyes wide with unshed tears.

"No," she croaked before clearing her throat. "No, I have to do this." Rufus nodded and they both waited patiently for Lucy to continue.

"In this alternate timeline, I was married," Lucy paused a tear sliding down her cheek as she allowed, for the first time in days, the full force of those memories to hit her. "To Wyatt," she whispered, looking down at the table. She heard Jiya shift in her seat but didn't look up. "We had two daughters, Amelia and Layla. Amelia was seven and the most brilliant seven-year-old I've ever met," Lucy chuckled. "And Layla was five and about to start Kindergarten, and she was so excited to go to school like her big sister."

"Lucy," Jiya whispered, and Lucy glanced up to see Jiya's expression matched her own. Wide-eyed with tears dripping down her cheeks. Jiya tentatively reached a hand out, resting it on top of Lucy's.

"Amy was alive again," Lucy continued, smiling softly as she remembered her baby sister telling zombie princess stories and cleaning her house to make her feel better. "And I was happy." Her voice broke on that last part and Jiya quickly pushed past Rufus to slide into Lucy's booth, hurriedly taking her friend in her arms.

"Lucy, I'm so sorry," Jiya whispered as she folded Lucy into a hug, rubbing her back up and down as Lucy cried into her shoulder. Rufus watched with a pained expression, hating to see two women he cared about deeply, albeit in very different ways, in so much pain.

"And now, Lucy's living with Wyatt again," Rufus continued while Lucy attempted to catch her breath. "And you can see what's wrong with that situation," he trailed off, nodding at Lucy. Jiya nodded, eyes wide as she worried over Lucy.

"Well, you can stay with me, if you'd like?" Jiya offered, smiling gently as Lucy pulled away to look at her friend. "I've got a comfy couch and I'm not too far from Mason Industries." Jiya playfully rolled her eyes and nodded at Rufus. "Plus, thanks to him, I've got twenty-four-hour security detail. We'll be completely safe from… them," Jiya choked out, still not comfortable with speaking the name in public.

The name gave it power, and they already had so much power over Lucy and the rest of the team.

Lucy and Rufus exchanged a look and silently agreed that was the best idea for Lucy. "Thanks, Jiya," she whispered and Jiya pulled her in for another hug, smiling.


Lucy waited anxiously in the living room for Wyatt to wake up from his nap. Rufus had already packed up some of her things and loaded them into his car. She kept delaying leaving, wanting to say goodbye to Wyatt first.

"Hey," his sleepy voice croaked, stifling a yawn, and she turned around to see him emerging from his room, running a hand through his hair.

Oh, how badly she wanted to fix that mess right now. She clenched her fist in her jacket pocket to keep herself from brushing her fingers through his hair one last time, fluffing the soft strands until they parted properly and lay mostly flat. She wanted to stroke his jaw, run her fingertips down his bare chest, feel his hands against her skin again.

She fisted her other hand in her pocket, smiling stiffly at him as he noticed her duffel bag sitting in front of her.

"Wyatt, I need to be honest with you," she whispered, and he frowned, coming to stop at the foot of the table, and it was too much like when she left Noah. She had to tell him the real truth. "I'm still not quite ready to tell you what happened on that mission," she began, taking a deep breath, "but, something did and it's been really hard for me to move past it."

"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice soft, and she didn't try to stop the sob from bubbling up this time, letting her tears fall hard and fast. She shook her head, sniffling.

"No," she whispered. "I'm not okay. I need some time and space to muddle through everything, and I just," she paused, looking around. "I can't do that here." Wyatt frowned worriedly at her, but nodded his understanding. Lucy sniffled, pretending not to notice how his hand flinched when another tear slipped down her cheek.

Distance.

She needed distance, and he could understand that.

"Where will you go?" he asked quietly, glancing down at her things.

"Jiya's offered me her couch until I can find a place of my own," Lucy explained, wiping her tears away. "You know how worried Rufus is about her, so he's already got twenty-four-hour security on her apartment. I'll be safe." Wyatt nodded stiffly.

"I'll talk to Agent Christopher and see about having someone else put on so you'll be safer," he muttered, looking down at the table, and Lucy nodded, stifling a soft laugh at how overprotective he was of her. "I know you need space, but if you ever decide to come ho-" he stopped himself, clearing his throat, and Lucy's heart shattered in the heavy pause. "To come back," he amended, "you're always welcome here."

"Thank you," Lucy whispered, curling her fingers tightly around the strap of her duffel and sliding it over her shoulder as she moved out from behind the table. Wyatt moved with her and they met in the middle, his arms immediately wrapping around her, pulling her close.

"Take care of yourself, Luce," he whispered, dropping a kiss to her hair, and she didn't stop herself from pushing up onto her toes and pressing her lips against his cheek. She could feel his arms tighten around her as she made contact, and heard his breath catch in his throat.

"Goodbye, Wyatt," she whispered in his ear, her nose brushing his jaw.

Lucy turned and left his apartment before she could see his reaction.


DSW cut back on my hours, so expect updates more often this week! :)