A/N #1: And we're back...

Chapter 21

Wyatt woke gradually the next morning to find a warm, sound-asleep Lucy draped over him, her soft breath whispering across his bare chest. Enjoying the sweet fragrance of her dark wavy hair as it spilled against his neck, and slowly running his hand up and down her delicate naked back, his thoughts drifted to the events of the previous evening, some of which had been delightfully more "eventful" than others (Damn, if he had known sooner just how little she had been wearing under that red dress, he definitely would have cut short the gala in a hot minute).

No doubt about it, Lucy's little surprise at bed time had definitely been one of the high points of the whole night, especially in comparison with a couple of potentially tense moments earlier on. Not long after they had arrived, while waiting in the line to sign in, Wyatt had been in the middle of pressing a quick kiss on Lucy's soft cheek when he happened to glance up and was dismayed to see a forlorn Kelly standing by the open double doors into the ballroom, round blue eyes focused right on him and Lucy.

Almost immediately, Bam's words from earlier in the week echoed through his mind, "...Kelly has a thing for you...she's been trying to get you to notice her for years...she finally gets up the nerve...you start talking on the phone to your girlfriend..." and he quickly pushed down his faintly guilty feelings. He really wished his friend had just kept his mouth shut because it was one thing to be hazily aware of the interest the blonde hadn't tried very hard to mask over the past few years, but it was another to have that knowledge smack him right in the face.

Truth be told, his first reaction to meeting Kelly when she transferred to Pendleton and became the C.O.'s administrative assistant was not exactly positive. While the masculine part of his brain noticed that she was very attractive (hey, he was celibate, not dead), another (more dominant) part was actually a little put off by her very faint resemblance to Jess, and even though Kelly certainly couldn't help being a pretty blonde with big blue eyes, Wyatt had, unfortunately for the young woman, almost immediately decided he had no interest in her.

And contrary to public opinion around the base, as the months and weeks went by, her intentions towards Wyatt were painfully obvious to him. Maybe he should have been straight with her long ago, but he had no desire to hurt her just because she happened to look a little bit like his deceased wife, so he had pretended not to notice Kelly's less-than-subtle attempts to attract his attention. In hindsight, it had probably not been the wisest decision to ignore the situation and hope she would just get the hint and move on. Because in spite of his efforts to spare the blonde's feelings, not only had he probably upset her on Monday just by talking on the phone to Lucy, here he was in her face with his very pretty new girlfriend, and judging by Kelly's devastated expression, any hope that she had been hanging on to had just been blown to hell and back. And Wyatt did feel bad about that, because, Jesus, he wasn't a complete asshole.

And then the experience of walking into the noisy, crowded ballroom itself was initially overwhelming. He had blinked hard and for the length of a heartbeat, it was five years ago, and it was Jess' hand he was holding tightly to, precisely what he had been apprehensive about in the days leading up to the gala. Then Lucy's slim fingers had trembled slightly in his, and just like that, his heart rate and breathing started to even out. Wyatt was so grateful for Lucy's steadfast presence beside him that he had actually turned his face against her neck and breathed in deeply for a moment. He marveled at (and greatly appreciated) her ability to calm him, somehow knowing just what he needed in that instant.

Participating in the traditional opening ceremony, however, was just as thrilling as he had remembered. Being part of something bigger than himself was one of the things he loved about life in the military, and he was so proud to be a service member. But in the end, the best part of his evening had been watching his date. (In fact, he could hardly take his eyes off her.) However, unlike with poor Kelly, Wyatt had been very attracted to Lucy Preston from the first time he met her, even as he initially fought that attraction. And that was before he had even gotten to know her as a person.

To him, she was always so beautiful inside and out, but tonight, he didn't even have the words. She just radiated happiness, dark eyes glowing, smiling at him and giggling with Julie (no good can come from those two being thick as thieves), and good Lord, that dress. She looked like a naughty angel in all that red satin. While he knew by now that pale pink was her personal favorite color, Wyatt decided that red was his new favorite color on her. He made a mental note that Santa needed to leave some sexy red lingerie under the tree for his sweet Lucy.

Suddenly, he couldn't wait to be on the dance floor with her slender body held as closely to his as they dared ("without being asked to leave," he smirked to himself). When they had finished eating and the dancing started, Lucy had turned to him with a shy, expectant smile, but before he could ask her to dance, Julie has suggested the two women visit the ladies room first. Half-shrugging, Lucy had bent down and given him a quick, apologetic kiss before following her friend across the ballroom and out into the hall.

So he and Bam had passed the time talking about football, Christmas plans, and some of their fellow soldiers. Five minutes, though, turned into ten, and Wyatt was beginning to get a little concerned that something was wrong. By the time it had been almost fifteen minutes since Lucy and Julie left the table, Wyatt was trying not to panic. Then Bam joked, "You can quit worrying, Ken, 'cause here comes your Barbie. Probably just found someone to talk to in the ladies room."

He could tell as soon as he saw Lucy that something was wrong. Her face was absolutely colorless except for her red lips, and it couldn't be a good thing that Julie had her arm protectively around Lucy's bare shoulders. As soon as the two drew near, Wyatt jumped up and putting his hand on one of her pale cheeks, anxiously asked, "Lucy, sweetheart, what is it? Are you ill? Was it something you ate?"

Even though she quickly assured him that she was okay, Wyatt wasn't convinced. What could have happened in just fifteen minutes? And did Julie just cough out the words "alley cats"? What the hell did that mean? He shot Bam a quick glance, but his friend just shrugged in confusion. Taking both of Lucy's hands, he leaned in and asked her if she wanted to leave, but pasting a shaky smile on her face, she put a hand on his arm and insisted that she absolutely did not want to go home.

Then, Lucy had cajoled him into a dance, and unable to resist the pleading look in those big dark eyes, he consented, and to his relief, as Wyatt held her closely and they swayed back and forth, she had gradually seemed to relax. Emboldened by her nearness, he had started whispering in her ear all the interesting things he'd like to do to her when they went home, and delighted in the warm blush gracing her cheeks. And since Wyatt prided himself on keeping his promises, not only had he completed his self-imposed "mission" last night, there might have been a few extra duties he'd been more than happy to see to personally. Yes, it had definitely been an evening to remember.

Maybe some breakfast in bed would encourage Lucy to share what had happened at the gala to upset her, he mused. Wyatt slowly pulled his arm from beneath her, holding his breath as she started to stir, and exhaled in relief when she curled around his pillow and remained asleep. He quickly threw on flannel pants and a tee shirt, and headed downstairs to the kitchen. Standing at the counter a short while later whisking the pancake batter, he was faintly startled when two slim arms encircled his chest and hugged him gently. "Good morning," Lucy murmured in a husky voice as she rubbed her cheek against his back like a sleepy kitten, "Oh, are you making pancakes?" she asked hopefully, "Can we have bacon, too, please?"

Wordlessly, Wyatt turned and gathering her snugly in his arms, rested his chin on her bare shoulder where the neck of his tee shirt she was wearing had slipped down. He smirked when she squirmed away from his scruffy chin where it touched her skin, "Wyatt, stop, that tickles," so of course he kept going until she managed to squeeze her fingers in between her shoulder and his mouth. Lucy laughed when he instinctively nipped at her fingers, and it suddenly occurred to Wyatt that he wanted to hear that sound every day for the rest of his life. He stilled at the revelation, and when Lucy looked at him quizzically, he merely smiled, giving her a half shrug and a swift kiss before turning back around to the counter and tried to focus on the pancakes. Wyatt took a deep breath and asked Lucy if she would set the table, slightly preoccupied with the path his thoughts were taking him.

He waited until they were nearly finished eating before asking her about last night. Lucy's eyes widened at the question, and he was intrigued to see a tell-tale blush heat her face as she denied that anything had happened (his Lucy was such a terrible liar). Well-trained in interrogation techniques, he waited patiently as a guilty-looking Lucy began to stammer and gesture until finally, she threw her napkin down and grudgingly confessed, "Okay, fine, there might have been a very brief incident, well, not even an incident really, just a moment, I guess, in the ladies restroom that I might have been a part of," and when Wyatt merely cocked a dark eyebrow in her direction, she caved and blurted out the whole story (yep, he was still a master of interrogation).

She looked so distraught, and he really tried, but couldn't contain his amusement at the thought of his sweet Lucy fiercely defending him to a bunch of catty gossips who obviously had way too much time on their hands and likely too much to drink (he had actually been afraid that maybe some drunk asshat had hit on her and she hadn't wanted him to know). Greatly relieved it wasn't that, he reached over and taking her small hand in his much larger one, asked, "So, let me get this straight. You were in the ladies room and overheard some women talking about me? About us? And then what? You told them off? And where was Julie? Because a cat fight would be right up her alley. Lucy, I think it's adorable that you want to defend my honor, so to speak, but, sweetheart, it's not necessary. Let people talk, I really don't care," and bit back a grin at her mutinous expression.

"But Wyatt, I do care. I mean, you wouldn't have even been at the gala to be talked about if it weren't for me. Those women just kept going on about how 'hot' you are, and were you still single, and your dimples, and did you have a girlfriend, and your 'dreamy' blue eyes, and I guess it made me angry that these women, these strangers who don't even know you, were just reducing you to a, I don't know, a piece of meat or eye candy or something," she answered rather crossly.

And at that last declaration, Wyatt's usually iron-clad self control cracked, and he couldn't contain the snort that escaped. Unfortunately, the more amused he felt, the madder Lucy got, until finally, she jerked her hand out of his and pronounced with wounded dignity, "I fail to see the humor in any of this, and maybe I should be going home now," and was half way up the steps before Wyatt could even react (aw, hell, she'd been serious). He raced upstairs and down the hall to his bedroom just as Lucy was starting to remove his tee shirt, and sweeping her into his arms in spite of her (admittedly weak) protests, carefully laid Lucy on the bed and curling up beside her, put his chin on her shoulder and an arm over her waist.

Staring straight up at the ceiling, Lucy sighed, and murmured sadly, "I don't want to fight with you, Wyatt. Just let me go home." Running a finger down the soft curve of her cheek, he quietly apologized, "I'm sorry I hurt your feelings, Lucy, please don't go. I love it that you are so protective, and I do appreciate you defending me. It's been so long since anyone cared enough to do that, I guess I just didn't take you seriously," and she turned her head and gazed into his eyes as he went on, "Honestly, this isn't the first time I have been the subject of gossip before, it went on for quite a while after Jess died, and it probably won't be the last, and that just doesn't bother me. And while I do love and appreciate that you care, I'm afraid that I'm still not really sure why this upset you so much, sweetheart."

Looking at him intently, she considered his words for a long moment before responding, "Wyatt, do you remember the day we met?" At his quick nod, Lucy said wistfully, "I recall looking up at you, and you nearly took my breath away because my first reaction was that you were one of the best-looking guys I had ever met, quite possibly, the best looking. Tall with dark hair and blue eyes, well-built, a deep voice, those dimples, likely around my own age, not married, I mean, my God, you are just the complete package. And then I inadvertently pissed you off, and I remember going home and telling Amy that I had met this incredibly handsome man and acted like a complete idiot." Wyatt smiled fondly at her heartfelt confession.

"I knew instantly by the expression on your face that I had messed up the second those prissy words left my mouth, and I desperately wanted to take them back. During the weeks between meeting you that first time and the open house at school, I tried not to, but I did think about you a lot, and kept hoping for an opportunity to apologize and maybe get to know you a little better. Of course, in the back of my mind, as appealing as your many fine physical attributes are, I knew there was certainly the possibility that you might turn out to be a real jerk, because I have learned over the years that often a guy who looks like you isn't very interested in someone like me."

"Thank heaven for your son, because he has been quite the little matchmaker, if you stop and think about it. If he hadn't asked me to marry you, and you hadn't come to the school to pick him up, and impulsively asked me over for dinner that night, I may not have gotten a chance to know the real you, the Wyatt Logan I fell in love with. Because that guy is smart, and funny, and loving, and gentle, and none of that has anything to do with being 'hot' or having dimples. Don't get me wrong, I am extremely attracted to you physically, but emotionally and intellectually, you are everything I could ever want in a man. And that's why I was so upset with those women and couldn't just walk away. You are so much more to me than your outward appearance, Wyatt, because I'm in love with all of you, not just the outer shell that other people see," and Lucy's voice trailed off in embarrassment that perhaps she wasn't explaining herself very well.

A suddenly emotional Wyatt swallowed hard at the lump in his throat from Lucy's sincere explanation, and managed, "Damn, Lucy, you make me sound perfect," and she smiled softly and teased, "No, Wyatt Logan, you are definitely not perfect. But you are perfect for me," and at that, he leaned in and kissed her thoroughly before resting his forehead on hers and admitting, "First of all, if by 'someone like me,' you meant intelligent, kind, and so beautiful you make my heart stop sometimes, then okay. And Lucy, you can be sure that aside from Jess, no other woman has ever known and loved me as well as you. I love you so much and was wrong to dismiss your feelings, and I'm really sorry. It's actually very sweet that you would take on the world for me, Lucy," and when she laid her head over his still rapidly-beating heart, he wondered fleetingly if she could tell that it beat so strongly for her and Jamie, the two people he loved more than anyone.

They must have dozed off because the next thing Lucy was aware of was Wyatt's warm lips tenderly pressing delicate little kisses all over her face and neck before descending firmly on her mouth. She hummed appreciatively and shivered as he settled his weight over her and held him closely as he touched her with loving hands, and her heart was full to nearly bursting at the depths of her feelings for this man. And here in the hushed quiet of his bedroom, everything else faded away as Lucy proceeded to show him just how much he meant to her.

The next time Wyatt opened his eyes, it was after 10:00, and he was alone in bed. Through the partially-open bathroom door, he heard the shower running, but before he could even think of joining Lucy, she turned the water off, so he laid there and waited for her to come out of the bathroom. A couple minutes later, she walked out wearing just a towel with her hair pulled up in a careless knot, and Wyatt hastily closed his eyes. "Quit playing possum, I know you're awake," she admonished cheerfully as she started getting dressed. "Must be your school teacher instincts," he grumbled, sitting up in bed, even as his interested gaze avidly watched her every move.

"Hey, Wyatt, what time are we picking up Jamie?" Lucy asked thoughtfully. "I guess around lunchtime," he shrugged, and his face brightened when she suggested that if Julie and Bam Bam could keep Jamie for a couple extra hours, maybe they could do some Christmas shopping this afternoon. "That's actually a pretty good idea since I haven't bought much for Jamie yet. Let me text Julie and ask." While he tapped out their request, Lucy finished dressing and started picking up all the little scraps of red satin lingerie that Wyatt had so eagerly removed last night that were scattered around the room.

Looking up from his phone, he smirked, and almost too casually suggested, "Maybe you could leave those little somethings here, you know, in case you don't pack enough underwear the next time you spend the night," and his phone chimed with a new text alert before Lucy could come up with a smart-ass reply. "I think the phone is practically glued to her hand," he joked, and looked faintly puzzled when he read the message. "She wants to know if 'X-mas shopping' is code for 'sexy' time," and Wyatt laughed when Lucy blushed. "Oh, wait, she just sent another text, 'Never mind, just bring pizza for supper, and we'll call it square'" and they grinned at each other.

"So, we have all afternoon?" Lucy asked, dark eyes gleaming, and squealed when Wyatt jumped up from the bed and grabbed her around the waist and breathed near her ear, "Yes, Ma'am, and if we don't spend all afternoon at Toys R Us, we can come back here before we go pick up the pizzas," and frowned when she swiftly pulled away from him and headed for the doorway. She laughed at the petulant expression he wore, and over her shoulder, scolded, "Quit wasting time then, hurry up and get ready to go while I clean up the breakfast dishes. Remember, the sooner we get our shopping done, the more time we will have alone together when we get back," she promised, and that was enough for Wyatt. In record time, he showered and dressed, and was downstairs just as Lucy finished cleaning up. "That was fast," she said admiringly, and snickered when he responded with a leer, "Guess I just needed the proper motivation," and pressed a swift kiss to her smiling mouth.

A half hour later, they were wandering around Toys R Us hand in hand, consulting the list on her phone that Lucy had prepared in the car. Wyatt had explained that since the Christmas Jamie was two and a half, he had purchased the really fun presents to be labeled as being from Santa, and then the more practical things like books and puzzles were gifts from Daddy. "There's just such a small window for all the neat Santa Claus stuff because once a kid is old enough to really understand who Santa is, say around age three maybe, they usually figure out the truth by the age of seven or eight or even sooner. Truthfully, I half expected one of his classmates who possibly had an older sibling to ruin it for Jamie, but so far I think he still believes," and she agreed.

"I think you're such a good Daddy," Lucy praised, "and your son is lucky to have you," and right there in the middle of the store, Wyatt just had to kiss her. "Wyatt," she chided breathlessly, "Quit that, there are little kids around. Now, please go get a cart, okay?" as he grinned at her shamelessly, "Yes, Ma'am." He obediently snagged a shopping cart from the front of the store and went looking for Lucy. He found her in the third aisle he checked, standing in front of a display of tiny infant clothing, gently running her finger over a pale pink sleeper while wearing a slightly dreamy expression. Wyatt was very familiar with that particular look on a woman's face because Jess had worn it for months before she conceived Jamie. While it was still very early in their relationship, he actually wasn't all that concerned his girlfriend might be getting "baby fever." Of course it was definitely way too soon, but he couldn't say he would be all that upset if Lucy accidentally got pregnant. But, he reasoned, that was a discussion best left for another day, because right now, they had some Christmas shopping to do.

They were standing in the Lego aisle looking at the multitude of choices when Lucy cleared her throat, and asked hesitantly, "Wyatt? Would it be all right if I got Jamie a couple of Christmas gifts?" Wyatt was faintly surprised, but recovered quickly. "Of course, Lucy," he answered warmly, "Jamie would love that," and she beamed up at him and said, "Well, I was thinking of maybe one or two games and some books, if that's okay," and they headed to the game aisle, where Lucy selected Connect 4 and Hungry, Hungry Hippos, and Wyatt picked up Operation. "I loved this game when I was a kid," he shyly confided, "Three games should be enough, I think, do you want to look at books now?" And they happily spent several minutes choosing some Dr. Seuss and Berenstain Bears books to add to the little boy's growing collection.

"Well, that takes care of the presents from Daddy and Miss Lucy, let's check out some stuff from Santa," and before they returned to the Lego aisle, Wyatt found a good-size Hot Wheels race track set and a twelve-pack of cars that he thought his son would enjoy. Narrowing down the Lego gift choices was a bit tougher just because of the sheer multitude of sets. Finally, Wyatt decided on three large Lego 'City' sets, and on their way to the checkout, Lucy spied a soft Spiderman plush and impulsively set it on top of her pile of books and games. Wyatt didn't say anything, just lifted a dark eyebrow, when she casually shrugged, "Maybe he would like to sleep with this," and he nodded approvingly. Since it was a Sunday two weeks before the holidays, the checkout lines were fairly long, but the couple easily passed the time making tentative plans for Christmas weekend.

By the time they got back to Wyatt's and hauled all the big orange Toys R Us bags upstairs to be hidden in the back of his closet, there really wasn't enough time to do anything but call in an order to Galelli's and go get the pizzas. Lucy could tell Wyatt was a little disappointed, but they had so much fun shopping for Jamie's Christmas presents, she really didn't mind. All told, it had been an incredible weekend so far, and once they picked up the pizzas and headed to the Baumgardners' house, she could tell that Wyatt was eager to see his son. Lucy had missed the little guy, too, and she was always happy to see Sadie and Annie.

As they pulled in the driveway, the front door opened, and Jamie and the girls spilled out over the doorway, obviously watching for them and excited by their arrival. When Lucy opened the car door, Jamie threw himself at her, and hugging her around the neck, exclaimed, "Miss Lucy! You and Daddy are finally here," and she kissed his flushed round cheek and smiled when Wyatt gently put his hand on his son's back and said, "Hey, buddy, we really missed you," before getting out of the Jeep and retrieving the pizza boxes from the back seat. Jamie finally let go of Lucy when a neglected Sadie started shrieking as Annie put her hands over her ears and rolled her green eyes in a manner nearly identical to that of her mother.

Lucy laughed and hastily bent down to pick up Sadie, who promptly put her arms around Lucy's neck and began chattering in her ear. "Miss Lucy, we gots a tree with pwetty lights, you wanna see it, hmmm?" and looking over at a grinning Wyatt, who was busy trying not to drop the pizza boxes and listen to both Jamie and Annie tell him all about their day, Lucy was filled with such contentment and gratitude, knowing there was no place she'd rather be at this very moment than right here with Wyatt and Jamie, and their friends, all of whom had welcomed her into their lives. And she had a good feeling that Wyatt had been right earlier, because they were already making some amazing memories this Christmas.

A/N #2: So sorry for the long hiatus (a month, maybe?), and hope this was worth the wait. I'm already working on Ch. 22, and also writing some on the next chapter of "Aftershock." So many ideas, so little time, LOL :) I want to again express my sincere gratitude for all the wonderful reviews, favorites and follows for this story and my other fics. It is such a pleasure to write for the Timeless fandom. Thanks so much :))