Thanks for your patience everyone! I'm straying further and further from canon, and that takes a little more planning and editing. This chapter finds us back with Lucy and Rufus. Hopefully you like it! I'm hoping to have about four more chapters after this.
Chapter 11 – Salem Seriously Sucks
Rufus took a look around his environment. The sky looked dark with grey heavy clouds, and the dark brown earth just further darkened the appearance of the area. The trees were barren, and there was no sign of life anywhere.
"I figured Salem would be creepy, I just thought there'd be more people." Rufus muttered. He heard nothing but the foot steps of Lucy and Flynn walking behind him. He sighed.
"Okay, Lucy, we're here. Now why the hell is Rittenhouse?" Rufus questioned. When he heard nothing but silence, he looked over his shoulder to see Lucy slowly following behind him, appearing to have dazed out. "Lucy?" he implored.
"What?" Lucy startled, looking to Rufus ahead, and Flynn beside her. "Oh, umm…I don't…I don't know." She shook her head. "This was one of the worst times in our nation's early history. Its hard to imagine they could do anything to, you know, make it worse. Right now we're at Proctor's Ledge. Few hours from now, people will be hung from that very spot. Its just awful."
"Poor women," Rufus uttered. He couldn't help but think of how some verbose, intelligent women were likely killed merely for decrying the false accusations. He wondered how women like his Jiya and Lucy would have fared.
"Some men, too. The ones that spoke up," Lucy added.
And with that happy thought, Rufus gently rubbed the front of his neck to get rid of the thought of a noose around his neck.
"Well, Flynn? What would someone full of dastardly plans be doing here?"
Flynn shrugged. "I don't know. It wasn't mentioned in the journal anywhere."
"Care to take a guess? Don't all villains think alike?" Rufus quipped.
"Ha ha," Flynn laughed, then rolled his eyes.
Rufus sighed again. They weren't getting anywhere. "Lucy, I know you don't like to think about it, but is there anything you could think of that was mentioned during your time with Rittenhouse that would help you guess where we should start? Something tells me the sooner we get out of here, the better."
"I don't know, Rufus. I don't have all the answers." Lucy snapped.
Rufus gently grabbed Lucy by the hand, and held it. "Hey, we're a team. I'm here with you. I know its been a crazy few hours. I'm not trying to push you, I'm just trying to help you think."
Lucy nodded and gulped. "I know. I know. I'm just –"
"Distracted?" Flynn interrupted.
Rufus rolled his eyes to the heavens. Lord, grant him the patience to survive this trip with that man. "Flynn, back off," he uttered.
Flynn tilted his head and leaned into Rufus' personal space. "Or what? I've seen you try to fight, Rufus, and let's just say it isn't your strong point."
"Enough!" Lucy hissed. "We have to stick together if we are going to sort this out."
Flynn kept his head turned toward Rufus, but shifted his eyes towards Lucy. He looked her up and down, and then backed away. "Yes, of course," he murmured. "It seems the best idea would be to find the sleeper agent. Would they be back towards town?"
Lucy nodded her head sullenly. "Nobody wanted to be spotted near the woods, where the so called rituals took place."
"The woods?" Rufus stopped and gulped. "Where we are?"
Lucy cocked her head and gave Rufus a sly smile. "You do realize that witches aren't real? Nothing actually happened here."
"If nothing actually happened here," Rufus said, "then what hell is that?" Rufus pointed forward at a large, grey tree with large trunks sprouting several feet in front of the group and to the left. Lucy turned her head to see a large cauldron next to the tree, and what appeared to be a pentagram fashioned from tree sticks hanging from one of the branches.
"Oh, shit," Flynn cursed.
"I saw Blair's Witch Project, and nothing good happened around crap like that!" Rufus said. He started to back away when he heard behind him, "There she is! There's Lucy Preston! She is the witch I told you about, and that must be her slave!"
Salem seriously sucks, Rufus thought. Then he realized, wait someone said Lucy's name….which couldn't bore well.
Rufus whipped around to see two women, a tall older blonde woman and an equally tall but younger red head, dressed in period clothing and standing next to a man with a face that looked pinched in the cold air, looking much like the Pilgrim version of Van Helsing, and a rather pudgy looking Puritan with a large scar down the left cheek. Rufus' eyes bulged when he recognized the women. "Emma?" he stuttered.
"Mom?" he heard Lucy gasp behind him. He glanced back to see Lucy's face lose all color. What Rufus didn't see, however, was Flynn anywhere around.
Dammit, he knew that guy was going to screw him.
"Mom?" Lucy gasped. Her heart shook and stuttered. No, no her mother may be, well, misguided in her support of Rittenhouse, but Lucy was absolutely certain her mother wouldn't do anything to actually hurt her.
She watched as her mother's lips trembled. She realized the woman that had spoke, however, wasn't her mother, but Emma. Emma pointed right at Lucy. "That's right! I overheard her telling one of the other accused that she was congregating here with the devil, and setting spells to afflict the governor's wife!"
"Yes, yes you told me," the tall, thin-nosed man stated. He walked up to Lucy. "You madam, have been accused of sorcery against the Lady Phips. As such, we shall arrest you and take you to Salem, where you will be tried for witchcraft."
"No!" Rufus shouted and stepped to grab Lucy by her arm. "You are mistaken, sir. We are just passing through the area, from um…"
"Rufus, please." Lucy shushed Rufus. Oh God, she could at least save him, if not herself. She realized Flynn was nowhere to be seen – where the hell was he? "Sir, my apologies for my, um," sorry Rufus, "man servant. We have been travelling this day from Boston." Lucy lowered her eyes to the ground. Maybe if she appeared meek and mild, she could get away with it. "I'm sorry, but perhaps this is just an incident of mistaken identity, mister…."
"Hawthorne," the man snarled. "I am John Hathorne, justice of the peace."
Oh God, this is bad. Lucy knew Mr. Hathorne had nearly no mercy towards any of the accused women, even ordering some to be whipped.
Hathorne gestured towards Emma and her mother. "These women described you and your slave perfectly, and now we have come upon you with your witchcraft brew and talismans. I believe there is no mistaken identity here. You will come with me and Judge Sewall, where you shall be judged." With that, Hathorne grabbed Lucy's hands, and began binding them with rope. She squeezed her eyes shut. This can't be happening this can't be happening this can't be happening….
Flynn huddled as far as he could behind a fallen log. During the walk he thought he had heard footsteps, but he had let them get closer so he had a chance at fighting them. Not in his wildest dreams did he consider this scenario occuring. When he saw the clearly staged scene of witchcraft, he recognized a set up. Bet Rufus wished he had a gun now.
He listened as John Hathorne introduced himself, and knew they were really in for it. Flynn couldn't identify himself – that would only result in his own arrest. If the team had any hope of getting Lucy back, they would need his help, not him sitting in a jail cell. Flynn frantically tried to think. He did not recall reading about this in the journal. The Hindenburg, the moon landing, that had all been in the journal and actually occurred, but there were a few episodes that appeared and disappeared from the journal throughout the travels…perhaps it wasn't so far fetched that this be a new episode that had not been in the journal the last he read it.
Flynn was certain of one thing. Lucy had saved him, years ago. A much older Lucy, with wounded eyes and desperate hope, had walked into his bar, and led him back out into the light. He owed her his life. Maybe now, it was time for him to save hers.
Flynn listened as the voices began to get fainter. He peeked around the log to see the Pilgrims leading Lucy and Rufus away towards Salem. He ducked back down when he noticed the two women, Emma and another blonde older woman, looking cautiously around the woods.
"I thought you said there was someone else with them?" he heard Emma ask.
"I – I thought there was," the other woman responded.
"Well, Carol, I'm not seeing anyone, and if Wyatt was here, there's no way he would have let those two be taken away for a trial without a fight." Emma laughed.
Flynn couldn't believe it. Lucy's own mother…this was it. This had to be what changed everything for her.
"We have to leave, now, for the trial," Lucy's mother stated.
"Oh yes," Emma purred. "I can't wait for my testimony. I've been practicing my theatrics."
Flynn gritted his teeth. To imagine he had actually come to this woman for help, and now she was putting Lucy's life on the line…
"Now just wait one moment. We agreed. I'd get time to talk to Lucy and give her a chance to come with us," Carol argued.
"You will, you will. But depending on our access, it may be before or after the trial." Emma responded.
"If we don't get to her before the trial it will be much harder for her to escape with us," Carol argued.
"Just keep your eye on the prize, Carol," Emma huffed. "Remember, the ultimate goal here is to get the team out of our way, for good. You already had your shot with her once. You may have to face the facts and let Lucy go for the benefit of Rittenhouse."
Over Flynn's dead body.