The team followed the road away from the farm and toward Gettysburg. The sun shone brightly overhead as they walked - not a cloud in the sky. The wind blew gently over the grassy hills, creating a water-like effect throughout.
"Hard to believe that in a few days, this whole area is going to be littered with the dead," Wyatt stated.
"Unless Rittenhouse changes that," Rufus muttered.
Wyatt glanced out of the corner of his eye at Rufus. "What is with you today?"
"If you haven't noticed," Rufus began. "We're in the worst time of history for my people."
"Actually-" Lucy started.
Rufus shot her a look. "The worst." He turned his attention back to the fields. "I just want to figure out what's happening here so we can go home quickly."
"We've been in worse places," Wyatt replied.
Rufus's face contorted in disbelief. "Right... sure. I keep forgetting that history sucks only for someone like me."
"Hey now," Wyatt started, turning to face his friend. "You were getting on me for being grumpy-"
Rufus scoffed, tossing his hands out to the side, "You're seriously going to compare what I'm going through with the grudge you're holding against Lucy?"
Lucy cleared her throat, trying to subtly break up the fight. Rufus shook his head as he turned to her. "No, he needs to hear this-"
"Hear what?" Wyatt snapped back.
Flynn raised his hands, trying to keep the peace. "This is not the place for this-"
"He's been licking whatever wound Lucy gave him over leaving Tenley-"
"You're going to want to stop talking," Wyatt tried to interrupt.
Rufus shook his head. "Man, just admit you were wrong-"
"Enough!" Flynn hissed.
The guys were so focused on each other, they hadn't noticed that Lucy had stopped walking. They bumped into her. Glancing up at her then following her line of sight, they spotted a scouting party of Union soldiers - all of whom were currently aiming their rifles at them.
Lucy raised her hands in defense. "Please," she started. "We're looking for Major General Meade."
The soldiers didn't tear their eyes away from the team. Instead, the men approached the time team, weapons still trained on them. Once surrounded, the soldiers began escorting them down the lane.
"Where are they taking us?" Rufus asked, voice beginning to panic.
Lucy whispered, "Hopefully to Meade..."
"We're going to be shot, aren't we?" Rufus muttered.
"Quiet!" one of the soldiers behind Rufus shouted, pushing him slightly with the butt of his rifle.
Rufus glared at Lucy, unhappy about the current state of things. She didn't need words from him to know exactly why he was upset. She gritted her teeth as she followed the men further into the woods.
After being forced to march into the woods for a couple of miles, they broke through the tree line. Sitting before them in the open clearing was a small encampment of Union troops.
The white tents were lined up perfectly, American flags waving in the wind at the ends of the rows. Soldiers were busy moving about the area, gathering supplies or grabbing some food at the cook's station.
In the center of the camp stood a larger white tent, pulled open at the flaps to let light inside. Lucy could tell by the guards outside the tent that it had to be the commander's tent. She prayed it was Meade's.
The lead scout quickened his pace as he neared the tent. The time team and their escorts seemed to slow their pacing until they were given the sign to approach.
Lucy watched as the scout stood with his back to them before exiting the tent and motioning them inside. Lucy inhaled slowly as she entered the tent first, followed by the other three.
Standing behind a large wooden table was a man, a bit passed middle-age. His hair had receded to the middle of his head while the sides and back showcased his salt and peppered locks, unwashed for days. His bushy beard mirrored the color of his hair, though it appeared neatly groomed for a man of his era. He stood tall with perfect posture. His tired eyes lifted to meet Lucy as she entered.
"My men have told me that they found you wandering the trails," he started. "They overheard your desire to find me."
Lucy licked her lips, careful to choose her words. "Yes sir, that's correct."
"And what, pray tell, would a lady such as yourself and your..." his voice trailed as he took in the other three members of the team. "companions be requiring of a man of my position?" Rufus shifted in his place over the remark but remained quiet.
Lucy began, "Well, it's a long story-"
"Do try to be brief," Meade told her. "Unfortunately, we will be heading out tonight to reposition ourselves for the battle of Gettysburg."
"About that," she quipped. "Is that still the plan?"
Meade stared at her, emotionless. "Madam, I do not know what your question means."
Wyatt sighed. "Are you still planning on attacking the Confederates at Gettysburg?"
Meade turned his attention over to Wyatt. "You will have to forgive me for not delving into the specific details regarding our strategies with a group of strange travelers who could very well be spies for the enemy-"
"I can promise you that we are not that," Rufus chimed in.
Meade's eyes darted over to Rufus before glancing at the others. Eventually, they settled on Flynn. "And you, sir? Do you not speak?"
"I speak," Flynn said. "However, I do not see how my ability to converse is of import."
Meade's brows furrowed together. "You have a strange accent, sir. I cannot place where it is from-"
Flynn shook his head slightly. He had heard this once before from men in this era. It was why he didn't want to speak up.
Lucy cleared her throat and said, "We have reason to believe that some spies have come through here recently and might be trying to redirect forces-"
"Spies?" Meade repeated. "And you have first-hand knowledge of this, how?"
"Would you believe us if we said that we were spies?" Flynn asked.
Meade chuckled. "I have heard a great many things in my life," he said. "But I have never witnessed a woman joining the ranks of men." Lucy opened her mouth to speak but didn't have a chance.
"Sir?" a voice shouted from outside the tent. As those within the confines of the tent glanced over, the soldier rushed inside without an invitation. "Sir? We've just received stressing news from our scouts near Little Round Top."
Meade raised his hand to stop the man from speaking in front of the time team but the man ignored the order. He was too distressed to think as he blurted out, "The enemy's moving their forces to our East! They look to be positioning themselves for a march on the capital!"
"What?" Meade muttered, glancing down at the maps that were strewn across his table. "Why would they do that?" Lucy's brows knitted together as her brain raced with the possible reasons. Meade waved his hand in the team's general direction. "Get them out of here."
"Wait!" Lucy shouted, holding her hands out to stop the troops. "I think I know what they're doing!"
Meade mirrored Lucy's hand gesture, stopping the troops. "What do you mean by that? Explain."
Lucy slowly inched her way closer to the table between them. "If you act now, you can stop them from moving their position...but if you don't you might end up losing the war."
Meade's eyes narrowed on her. "I'm listening but I will be asking you questions about how you know this-"
She nodded as she quickly explained, "General Longstreet-"
"Longstreet?" Meade repeated. "Of the Confederate army?"
She blinked at him, offering a curt nod in response. "He believed...believes that if he were to position himself in between you and DC, he could cut off your supplies and overtake the capital. By doing this, the battle for Gettysburg will not happen-"
"Gettysburg is as important to them as it is to us-"
"With all due respect, it's not," she told him. "The battle for Gettysburg will be the worst battle of the civil war we've ever seen and the Confederate Army will lose this battle...and the war."
Meade studied her face. "You truly believe this. How do you know all of this?"
"We told you," Wyatt chimed in. "We're spies."
Lucy swallowed her nerves. "If you intercept Longstreet's soldiers now before they can position themselves between the Potomac Army and DC, you can prevent them from winning this war."
"I'll have to consult-"
"You don't have time!" Lucy pleaded. "If you wait, he will move into position and you won't be able to stop this."
Lucy watched Meade's face as he weighed out his options. He turned to his soldier. "You're are certain that they are heading this direction?"
The man nodded. "Yes, sir."
Turning back to Lucy, he asked, "And you're certain that they will give up Gettysburg?"
She swallowed. "Yes. Gettysburg won't happen. The enemy will shift their forces elsewhere to accommodate Longstreet's plan."
Meade rubbed his chin, playing with his beard for a moment. His eyes darted over to his man. "Send riders to Major General Sickles and Butterfield immediately. Inform them of the recent developments and have them act accordingly - as well as my decision to redirect my troops to cut the snake off at the head."
With a quick salute, the man replied, "Yes sir!" He turned on his heel and darted out of the tent.
Lucy inhaled deeply. "Thank you."
Meade held her stare. "I should thank you," he told her. "If this is as you say."
Lucy hoped that she was sure. She didn't want to fall into the trap that they had experienced before with Rittenhouse and Bloodstone. She didn't want to see this turn out to be another distraction and make history worse in the end.
Meade put his hat on and walked around the table. "I will make sure that you and your men," he said, motioning to the other three, "are taken care of. We will get you out of harm's way. And if what you say is true, then the war will be over by the evening."
Lucy forced a smile. She watched as Meade tipped his hat at her, leaving his tent. She turned her gaze over to her friends. She made a concerned face as she neared them.
"End the war by evening," Rufus repeated. "Is that even possible?"
She shrugged. "I hope so... but not likely."
"Don't forget that they said the same thing about World War II," Wyatt pointed out. "Kept saying how it was going to end by Christmas."
Rufus blinked at him. "Now who's in a mood?"
"Ma'am?" a new voice spoke behind them. When they turned, they spotted a soldier, no older than fourteen. "If you'd follow me?"
Wyatt recoiled as he took in the kid. "How old are you?"
Lucy smacked him. "He's a brave young man," Lucy stated, trying to recover from Wyatt's shock. "And a God-given gift to us all, fightin' for God and country." The boy smiled shyly at her as he turned and led them out of the tent.
As they followed a safe distance behind, Wyatt whispered, "He's just a kid."
"A lot of them were," Lucy reminded him. "One of the youngest was Edward Black who was just eight years old when he fought. There were some eleven and twelve-"
"They're kids," Rufus complained. "How is that legal?"
"Different times," she replied. "Unfortunately, a lot of them joined for the money, some to fight for their rights..." she stopped and sighed.
Flynn's eyes drifted over to Lucy. She never stopped mid-thought. He noticed that she seemed lost in thought. The other two didn't seem to think much of it. He widened his stride to catch up to her. "Lucy?"
She blinked back to reality. "Sorry." She forced a smile as she continued walking.
"What happened just a moment ago?" he asked.
She shook her head. "Nothing."
Flynn glanced over his shoulder at Wyatt. "Things still tense?"
She shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe."
"Are you going to live in the infirmary from now on?"
Her face fell. "You-You knew?"
He nodded solemnly. "Is he still giving you grief?"
She shook her head again. "I've sort of been giving him a wide berth."
Flynn opened his mouth to retort when the kid leading them announced, "I've been ordered to bring you here until the battle is over." They were standing in the woods where a small fire pit had been constructed and one solitary tent was built.
"Come again?" Rufus said. "Until the...what now?"
The kid nodded curtly. "Don't worry, you won't be unprotected."
Glancing over their shoulders, the team spotted a group of younger soldiers gathering to protect them.
Wyatt chuckled. "I guess we're being babysat by the babies."
"Do you want to get shot?" Rufus asked, glaring at him.
Wyatt shrugged. "So, what? We wait here?"
The kid nodded. "We're going to set up the perimeter. Please, don't wander off."
"Wouldn't dream of it," Wyatt muttered, sitting on a stump.
The team waited until the kids left to secure the minicamp. Rufus asked, "So, what do we do now? Does the war really end after this?"
Lucy's face contorted with skepticism. "No...it won't end overnight."
"Why did you tell him that it did?" Rufus questioned.
"Because he needed to hear something that would motivate him to change his direction," Lucy explained. "For most soldiers, it's the knowledge that they can go home sooner."
Wyatt nodded, thoughts drifting back to his days in the field. What Lucy said had made sense to him. He often held onto those statements of hope like his life depended upon. It gave him a reason to get up in the morning.
Lucy turned her eyes to the boys guarding them. "We can't do much until the battle is over."
"How long will that take?" Rufus asked, glancing at the others.
Shaking her head, she replied, "I wish I knew."
Hours passed by. The sun had set twenty minutes ago. The cicadas were singing loudly within the forest around them, the occasional firefly blinking in the dark. Sounds of cannon bursts echoed across the valleys. The sounds of distant gunfire filled the air behind them.
Lucy stared out across the valley. She could see the battle from their position. The night illuminated with each blast or gun that fired. Within those short bursts of weapon fire, she could see the thick smoke left behind. She had no idea which side was which as she watched. She could only hope and pray that whoever was winning, it was Meade's army.
Feeling a presence next to her, Lucy glanced out of the corner of her eye before turning back to the battlefield in the distance.
"I'll never get over how different things are compared to our time," Wyatt sighed as he took in the battle.
Lucy remained quiet but listened to him. She wasn't sure if she should speak up. It hadn't gone well for her over the past couple of conversations.
Wyatt inhaled deeply. "I'm sorry, Lucy...I haven't exactly been the best person to be around-"
"It's fine," she said, waving the comment aside.
He shook his head, turning to face her. "It's not. I know that it's not." He ran his hand through his hair. "Look, I know that you think I gave up-"
"We don't have to talk about this-"
"I think we do-"
"I meant now... Like, right now might not be a good time?" Lucy pointed out.
Wyatt blinked. "Oh, yeah... Okay..."
Lucy offered a small smile before turning and heading back into the camp. Wyatt remained where he was, trying to piece together what happened.
He knew that he needed to apologize to her. The conversation with Flynn and the blowup with Rufus told him as much. Both of them were right - she was pulling away from him - or maybe it was because he was pushing her away. Regardless of which was true, he knew he had the blame on his shoulders.
Wyatt knew that Flynn was right about one thing and it pained him to admit it - something was going on with him and he was scared. He didn't want to talk about it. He wasn't sure if Lucy would understand even if he talked to her. He tried but she had shut him down.
Shaking the feeling aside, he knew that she was right. They were on a mission and they needed to focus on that. As a soldier, he knew how to do that. He told himself that he'd deal with the conversation that needed to take place the moment they returned home. It was a promise he was making silently with the both of them.
Wyatt returned to the others, who were standing around the small fire for warmth. As he neared, he heard horses galloping steadily toward them. Instinctively, he moved his hand slowly up to where his weapon was hidden from view.
The horses emerged from the darkened woods and stopped beside one of the young men. The rider hopped off the horse and approached the kid who had been left in charge.
A quick salute exchanged between them. The kid asked, "What news do you bring from the front?"
The rider replied, "Major General Meade wants to speak with our guests. He will be arriving in the early morning hours."
"Did he say why?" Wyatt asked.
The rider blinked at him. "I did not ask, sir."
Wyatt nodded slowly. "Right...of course."
The rider added, "Keep an eye out for any stragglers."
"Stragglers?" Rufus repeated. "What does that mean?" He turned to Lucy. "What does he mean by that?"
Lucy opened her mouth to reply when the rider announced, "I'm off to connect with General Grant!"
"What word do you have of the battle?" Lucy finally blurted out as the man mounted his horse.
The rider glanced down at her. "We've won the battle...and nearly the war!"
Without saying another word, the rider kicked his horse into a full gallop and disappeared into the night.
Rufus asked, "So, what now?"
"We wait until morning," Lucy replied. "With any luck, Meade will send us home."
The team awoke in the early morning hours to the sounds of approaching horses. Rufus groaned, "What time is it?"
"Early," Flynn replied, sitting up, stretching out the kinks in his back. He had fallen asleep with a tree root pushing into his lower back.
"Five more minutes," Rufus moaned.
Lucy was already awake, pacing the tent's entrance. "If you wake up now, we might be able to get back home."
"I'm awake!" Rufus said, sitting up. He rubbed his eyes, yawning. "I hate mornings."
The flap to their tent opened, letting in the crisp morning air. Standing before the almost-awake team was Major General Meade and his aides. He glanced about the team. "Forgive me, I was informed that you'd be ready when I arrived this morning."
Lucy forced a smile. "Some of us were up late last night."
Meade nodded briefly. "I bring news from the front." He brushed by Lucy to enter the tent. "You were correct in your assumptions regarding the enemy's movements. They were planning on placing themselves in a key location to cut off our supplies and decimate our forces." His head tilted slightly as he continued, "For that, we owe you a great deal of gratitude."
Wyatt's eyes narrowed at him. "I sense a 'but' coming."
Meade blinked at him as he added, "However..." Rufus mouthed 'however' to Wyatt, shaking his head. Meade continued, "We are concerned as to how you knew of their plans and what's more, you decided to seek me out to stop it."
Lucy swallowed, growing anxious. "We are just simple folk who want the same thing you do..."
Meade turned his gaze back to her, disbelieving look on his face. "I wish I could believe you, ma'am."
"Why would we risk our lives to tell you this important information if we didn't want the same things?" Rufus asked. When Meade turned his heated gaze over to him, Rufus shrunk back. "I mean that with great respect, sir..."
Wyatt watched as Rufus tried to bury himself into the tent. He turned to Meade. "We helped you when we didn't have to," he stated. "We didn't ask for anything."
Meade's lips twitched. "I sense a ...'but'...coming?" he mocked.
Wyatt forced himself to keep from smiling. "We just want to go home now that the battle has been won."
Meade glanced over his shoulder before saying, "You save many of my men's lives today. Even more from the enemy's side. You could very well have turned the tides of this war in ways you'll never know. Despite my better judgment and that of my fellow commanders..." he paused before saying, "I will grant you this request."
"What?" Lucy gasped. She blinked away the confusion as she studied Meade's face.
The man nodded. "I've decided to go against the orders of my fellow officers and give you the chance to go home while you can."
The team exchanged glances. "But what-"
"That means," Meade interrupted. "That you have a short amount of time to disappear before we go searching for you..." He turned to leave. Stopping at the tent flap he added, "I will do what I can to keep the search parties at bay until the evening, however, I do not know if I will be able to. Move quickly."
"Thank you," Lucy said. "Good luck with the rest of the war."
He gave her a curt nod before exiting the tent and ordering the men to follow him back.
Lucy watched in awe as Meade took his soldiers and left. Wyatt stood next to her and asked, "What becomes of him?"
Lucy's eyes never left the retreating Meade as she stated, "He becomes an honorary member of Pennsylvania and a commissioner for Fairmount Park...he even gets his doctorate in law from Harvard..." she paused before adding, "he suffers from old war wounds before finally dying from complications with pneumonia."
Once Meade and his men were no longer visible, she turned to Wyatt. "We should go home."
He nodded, offering a small smile. "After you...ma'am."
Memories of her first interaction with Wyatt came rushing back to her. She could feel the blush heating her cheeks as she smiled back at him. She missed this version of Wyatt. This was the Wyatt she knew and loved, but something was holding her back.
