Lucy had hoped that eating that awful snake with no complaints would be enough to prove to Wyatt that she was making an effort, that she wasn't above roughing it in the wild, but it seemed that eating snake was just a precursor for the even greater challenge of…washing it down.

She realized that she should not have been all that surprised that water from a forest stream wouldn't exactly be flavorless. She wasn't an idiot…but well, maybe she was a victim of false marketing. This was the untapped wilderness, after all…which meant people in hiking gear standing next to mountain springs, drinking the cool, crisp, clear, refreshing water that sprang from them. Certainly not…this.

This was definitely not anything close to that.

Beggars can't be choosers…or so they saying goes…but Lucy had to admit, she would have killed for an ice-cold bottle of…pretty much anything…over the tepid, earthy, and musty flavor of what was passing for drinking water in their communal canteen. She tried, but couldn't hide the grimace and shudder that involuntarily escaped her as she took a long, draught to soothe her parched tongue and throat. She had been looking forward to something other than alcohol to drink for days…particularly now since the terrible taste of snake was still lingering on her tongue…but this was worse.

So much worse.

Coughing and sputtering as she worked overtime to keep herself from revisting both the meal and the after-dinner "refreshment" she passed the canteen to a waiting Rufus, noticing with some shame that Wyatt was now shaking his head and rolling his eyes at her in apparent disappointment.

If he was disappointed in her reaction, however, it was nothing to how he felt over Rufus'. The canteen had barely touched his lips, before he immediately spewed out a mouthful of warm water all over the Delta Force soldier, who, unfortunately, was sitting right next to him. "What the hell, Rufus?" Wyatt exclaimed angrily as he wiped his face with his sleeve.

Rufus, however, was too busy gagging to even notice or care.

"Blech!" he gasped out as he dry heaved next to the log he had been propped up against. Grimacing, he sat back up, wiping his tongue frantically with his hand and spitting as much as he could to rid his mouth of the foul flavor.

Wyatt stared hard at him as he yanked the canteen away and took a sip of his own, not even flinching at the taste…something that annoyed the hell out of still sputtering Rufus. "Don't even try to act like you don't think that's the nastiest stuff you ever put in your mouth." he quipped, "it tastes like rotten eggs and fish….warm rotten eggs and fish." he emphasized as he gagged again. "I can see why they drink so much alcohol here…that needs some lemon or something…"

"I'm sorry Rufus, I'm fresh out of lemons," Wyatt snarked, "but maybe I can pick you up some when they build a grocery store here in the next 100 years or so…"

"Very funny." Rufus deadpanned. "Look, I'm just saying we should probably look for something to make that…less gross."

"And what do you suggest?" Wyatt spat out. "Please, I'm all ears..." he stared at Rufus who rolled his eyes and slunk back against the log despondently, "Right now, this is all we've got…and you should be grateful we even have this." Wyatt muttered angrily as he popped the cork back on the canteen, "if you're thirsty enough, you'll drink it."

"Maybe…maybe we could find some mint?" Lucy suggested timidly, not wanting to upset Wyatt any more than he already was. He turned and looked at her in surprise and she stammered, "That…that grows in the wild, right?" When he continued to stare at her in astonishment, Lucy continued, "I…I'm not trying to be ungrateful, but…Rufus is right," she said with a determined nod of her head, "it would…at least help with the…the taste."

Rufus, angry about Wyatt's quip about the lemonade, let out a derisive laugh, "C'mon Lucy…that's not roughing it enough…"

"No." Wyatt interrupted him, "I think it's a good idea...great idea, actually." Lucy lifted her eyes to his in surprise, amazed and relieved to see that he was offering her a soft smile. "Mint grows all over the place…we could probably find some around here pretty easily…and you're right…it will help."

Lucy smiled, feeling about as light as a feather that she had come up with something that could actually help them. Sure, it wasn't killing snakes or knowing which berries to eat…but for someone like her, who admittedly gets lost in her own kitchen, it was something. She nodded, "Okay…good…and maybe" she bit her lip hardly daring to press her luck, "maybe if we ever find a trading post we …we can…I don't know pick up some tea or coffee?" Wyatt's eyes widened and she panicked, "I mean, I know…it's not something we need or anything…I just thought…ya know…if we can't find mint…"

Wyatt shrugged unconcernedly, "Why not? As far as I'm concerned, anything we can find or use that makes our lives easier out here is worth it." He smirked at her proudly, "I wouldn't say no to a cup of coffee, that's for damn sure."

"Oh I see how it is." Rufus grumbled, "I say the water's nasty and you jump down my throat. Lucy says the water is nasty and you agree…"

Wyatt turned slowly, gaping at Rufus, "Lucy didn't complain." he explained in a voice of forced calm, "She came up with a solution…there's a difference."

"Yeah, right there's a difference." Rufus nodded as he frowned dubiously, "There's a BIG difference, alright."

"And what the hell do you mean by that?" Wyatt spat back.

Lucy, seeing that things were getting tense between the two of them, quietly removed herself from the vicinity of the two men and began cleaning up things around their camp.

Rufus waited until she was out of ear shot before leaning close to Wyatt and whispering harshly, "You know damn well what I mean. Both Lucy and I thought that water was about the grossest thing we ever put in our mouths, yet I'm the only one getting crap for being "ungrateful.""

"That's because Lucy didn't complain." Wyatt gritted out angrily, upset that he had to explain himself yet again. "Hell, do you really think I like the way that water tastes? But you know what? I sucked it up…I drank it and so did she…without spewing it out all over everybody." Wyatt said pointedly with a roll of his eyes, "Thanks for that, by the way."

"It's not just that." Rufus countered, "she comes up with a suggestion and it's all "Oh that's a great idea, Lucy…you're the best" he mimicked, "but I didn't hear you giving me any props for coming up with the solution to save our asses. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't know a damn thing about the Protocol."

"We don't know if that's even going to work, Rufus." Wyatt reminded him. "Mason may never even get that message, it could be buried under a damn skyscraper for all we know."

"Hey, we may never find any mint…but you still praised Lucy to the sky." he grumbled. "I just think you shouldn't play favorites…that's all I'm saying."

"I'm not playing favorites." Wyatt breathed out in exasperation, "you're just…just…"

"Just, what?" Rufus provoked.

"You're just being an ass right now." Wyatt gritted out angrily, his fist clenched tightly by his sides.

"Yeah, well it takes one to know one." Rufus mumbled in return.

Lucy cleared her throat loudly from across the camp, "Are you two finished? she asked with raised eyebrows as she lifted up the flintlock pistols they had stolen from the French soldiers, "Or are we going to have to settle this 18th century style?" She shook her head at them both with an admonishing glare, "Seriously, you two…we're…we're going to be stuck together for…who knows how long. Are we going to get on each other's nerves? Probably. But…but we need to work together if we're going to have any chance at surviving this."

Wyatt and Rufus rolled their eyes, grumbling as they slunk away from one another, both of them knowing that Lucy was right. It was just the three of them against the entire 18th century and like it or not, they were going to have to put aside differences of opinion…even if those opinions were completely wrong. Wyatt bristled at Rufus' accusation. He was not playing favorites. Lucy had a great idea and he praised her for it. What was the big deal? Rufus, on the other hand, had done nothing but complain since they landed in 1754…

Lucy, seeing that Wyatt and Rufus were both sulking now in their respective corners, sighed heavily, "Look, for what it's worth…this isn't easy…for any of us." Both Rufus and Wyatt looked at the other as if to argue their own case, but Lucy plowed on, "Wyatt, you know Rufus and I aren't used to any of this…so it's going to take us some time to…ya know…adapt." She nodded at Rufus meaningfully as she continued, "but we're going to try, right?" Rufus heaved out a sigh and nodded in resignation. "Rufus, Wyatt can't do this all on his own. Since we got here, he's been the one to get us food and something to drink…and I'm sure when we're…less than grateful about what he finds us it's…it's…"

"Frustrating." Wyatt grumbled in agreement.

"Right." Lucy said with a nod. "I just…I just think it's important for us all to remember we're trying in our different ways to deal with…all of this." she scoffed, "I mean, Flynn trapped all of us here…and yes, we're completely different people…but…ultimately, we're a team, right?"

Wyatt sighed heavily. A few days ago, he wasn't sure if he wanted to be on this "team" anymore…and if he was being quite honest with himself, he still wasn't. How many times had Lucy and Rufus shown that they didn't know the first thing about team work? How many times had they kept him out of the loop and taken him for granted? Still, as he looked at Lucy…standing there attempting to bridge the gap that existed between them all…he couldn't help but feel a surge of gratitude for her. She was trying…and that's all he really needed right now.

"I'm still going to complain." Rufus said with a frown and a shrug, "Just being honest…but…but I'll try to adapt." he conceded with a smirk towards Lucy. "I mean, I've already eaten snake…"

Wyatt let out a dry chuckle, "And you know how to start a camp fire…"

"That's right." Rufus said with a nod of satisfaction, "I am the master of the tinderbox…and thanks to Wyatt, I know how to build a Carolina firepit thing."

"Dakota fire hole." Wyatt corrected, realizing that maybe he had been a little too hard on Rufus. "I um…I think you're doing a pretty good job." he admitted sullenly, "ya know, for someone who hates the outdoors."

Rufus nodded at him in gratitude, "Well, I had a pretty good teacher…"

Wyatt nodded his thanks and cast a quick glance up to Lucy who, he was stunned to see, was smiling at him proudly. He felt an odd tug in his stomach as he smirked back at her and for the first time since the disaster that was the Watergate mission he felt like he had a team again…and it was all thanks to Lucy.

"So, what now?" Rufus asked abruptly, pulling Wyatt's attention away from his inner musings, "We go to Fort Duquense, knock on the door…ask to use their forge?"

"That's a great way to get ourselves killed." Wyatt quipped sarcastically as he pulled his eyes away from Lucy's, "We're gonna need to come up with some kind of plan. It won't be long before those French soldiers figure out what happened back at that camp…and I'd rather not give them another reason to try to kill us."

"Well, if that commander is who I think he is," Lucy said grimly, "it won't matter if we try to get into the fort or not…he's going to come looking for us."

Wyatt narrowed his eyes at her in confusion, "What makes you say that? Just because I killed a few of his men?"

"Well…there's that…" Lucy said with a nod, "but if that is Louis Coulon, his brother, Joseph, was the French commander killed at the Battle of Jumonville Glen."

"You mean the…the brain guy?" Rufus asked with a grimace. "The one with the…" Rufus mimed a hacking motion with his arm as Lucy solemnly nodded. "Well, that's too bad for him," he quipped, "but why would that have anything to do with us? We weren't there…"

"He doesn't know that…" Wyatt answered sullenly with a thoughtful frown, "…and if he thinks we're British spies…"

"Exactly," Lucy nodded as she explained, "Immediately after the massacre at Jumonville Glen, George Washington expected to be attacked by the French…I mean, obviously…" she shook her head as she sighed, "So, he ordered the rapid construction of a fort to protect his men…Fort Necessity…"

"Good name." Rufus acknowledged with a shrug.

"A few days after the fort's construction was completed, the French and their Indian allies attacked - just as Washington believed they would…and well, apart from being a disorganized mess, it was a bit of a disaster. The French fired onto the fort from the safety of the trees and Washington, tried to dislodge them by marching his men into an open field."

"That was smart." Wyatt scoffed sarcastically.

Lucy nodded in solemn agreement, "Washington was forced to surrender, but not before mistakenly admitting that he had Louis Coulon's brother essentially assassinated…it was something to do with the translation – either Washington misunderstood what he was being asked or the interpreter got it wrong…I can't remember all the details…but the point is, Washington didn't realize what he had admitted to until afterwards, and by then…it was too late. No matter what Washington tried to say to the contrary, from Louis Coulon's perspective, his brother was brutally murdered…and now he had a British officer admitting to…"

"…putting a hit on him." Wyatt finished for her glumly.

"Needless to say," Lucy sighed, "he isn't exactly going to be fair minded when it comes to dealing with anyone who he thinks has any kind of association with Washington."

"You think?" Rufus gaped at her. "So, what you're telling me is that this French guy thinks that we're working for the man who had his brother's brains literally bashed in?" Lucy offered an apologetic shrug, but Rufus was already in full-blown panic mode, "Oh well now it's a given…they're gonna murder us before we get two steps into that fort."

"Not necessarily." Wyatt said with an unconcerned shrug as extinguished their campfire with a sprinkling of dirt.

"I'm sorry, but didn't you just say that going into that fort was a sure-fire way of getting ourselves killed?"

"In the way you described it, yeah." Wyatt scoffed in annoyance. "That's why I also said we needed to come up with a plan…and we can't come up with a plan if we're gonna sit around here all day." he added as he snatched up a spy glass he had stolen from the French camp.

"So…what do you suggest?" Lucy asked as she cast a wary look towards Rufus.

"We need to go take a look at that fort." Wyatt said simply. "We can look at a map all day and it won't give us any idea of what their defenses are like, how many soldiers they've got on posts, who goes in and who goes out…"

Rufus frowned thoughtfully, "So we're going on a stake out?"

"If that helps you." Wyatt said as he rolled his eyes. Pulling out the map, he called them both over, "It looks like we're about five miles away…now obviously, we don't want to get too close, but if we can get close enough and keep out of sight, we can get a pretty good idea of what we're dealing with. I mean, that Fort Machault wasn't a fort at all…"

"That's just because it hadn't been built yet." Lucy reminded him.

"…and I hardly think this is going to be like busting into a fully armed military compound in 2016." Wyatt continued, completely ignoring Lucy's interruption.

"Yeah, but hang on there, Rambo," Rufus interjected, "it's us against a whole damn army…and it's not just the French…they've got friends…with tomahawks."

"All I'm asking you to do is trust me." Wyatt said with a sigh, "Can you at least do that?" Lucy and Rufus exchanged glances before both of them offered him a resigned nod. "Alright then, Wyatt said simply, "let's go."

Deciding it would be best to put some kind of geographic barrier between them and the French army, Wyatt suggested they cross the river. Looking at the map, he noted that directly across the river from the fort, the land was elevated, which would give them a better vantage point anyway. Traveling a little further to their north to a point where the river narrowed somewhat, the found a crossing where large boulders jutted out of the water here and there, allowing them to cross without having to make a swim for it…something Lucy was eternally grateful for, figuring that her many layers would have her sinking to the bottom of the river like a millstone before she could even get half-way across the stream.

Not that she wouldn't love an excuse to get out of her dress.

While she was really trying to keep from complaining, the truth was, she was in a considerable amount of pain. Her ribs were tender from the constant pressure of her corset which she had now worn for four straight days. The panniers tied around her waist to give her skirt that boxy boosted look were annoying the hell out of her, and her shoes…well, she was pretty sure she had blisters the size of the boulders she was currently using as stepping stones to cross the Allegheny River.

When she made one final leap from the penultimate boulder to the last that sloped down to the opposite shore, Lucy's foot missed the rock and she found herself clinging to the stone as her legs splashed into the water. Unable to lift herself up with the added weight of water and the rushing current pulling her down, Lucy cursed under her breath before her hands were suddenly gripped by Wyatt's, "I've got you." he gritted out as he crouched down above her and began pulling her up.

She was about to breathe out her "thanks" when Wyatt, in order to lift, rather than drag her across the top of the rock, wrapped his arm tightly around her waist and pulled her up and over the jutting rock. In normal situations, that action wouldn't have caused her the slightest discomfort, but with her ribs already so tender, she couldn't help but cry out in pain as Wyatt brought her safely onto dry ground.

That cry of pain set Wyatt into a near panic. Quickly releasing his grip on her as she slumped down on a fallen log, he immediately crouched down in front of her, his eyes scanning over her to assess where the problem was, "Lucy?" What's wrong?" he asked in concern, "Where does it hurt? Is it your side?"

Lucy shook her head frantically as she gasped, "I'm okay…just…just a little sore. Nothing to worry about" she gritted out through unshed tears.

Wyatt tilted his head skeptically and traded glances with an equally disbelieving Rufus, "If you aren't hurt, then why are you crying?"

"I am not crying," Lucy maintained, "I told you, I'm just a little sore, that's all. I fell on a rock for heaven's sake…"

Wyatt heaved a sigh, torn between wanting to trust Lucy's assessment of her own well-being and trusting his own instincts. He could tell she was in pain, that much was abundantly clear…but he also knew that she hadn't fallen that hard. Would it have hurt? Probably. Break something? Not likely. "You're sure?" he asked finally, "Do you need to rest for a while?"

"Nope." Lucy said with a little more chipperness than was unnatural - even for her, "I'm just fine." she added brightly as she sprung to her feet and lifted up her arms, wincing slightly as she did so.

Wyatt narrowed his eyes once more, internally debating whether to call her on her bluff or let it pass. He knew she was putting on a brave face, but why she was putting on a brave face was the bigger question he was now asking himself. He thought through all the shit they had gone through since landing in 1754, the rain storm, the sleeping conditions, the harassment she received at the hands of the French...and never once had she complained. Never once had she so much as hinted that she was in the least bit uncomfortable...though he knew, at times, she was.

While he didn't want or need another Rufus on his hands in the way of complaints, he was now a little concerned that by giving Rufus such a hard time, he had inadvertently discouraged Lucy from...well, complaining about anything. "Lucy," Wyatt encouraged, "you know, if you're hurt...you can tell me."

Lucy shrugged at him, but Wyatt noted she didn't meet his eye, "I'm fine." she repeated as she pushed past him, "Like I said, I'm just a little sore from my fall...that's it." She was now easing her way up the sloping hillside, using the trees to help keep her balanced, but Wyatt noted again that she seemed to be walking a bit stiffer than usual...but, he surmised, that could be because half of her dress was wet and it was therefore more difficult to move around. As she turned back to see why he wasn't following, Wyatt shrugged it off and joined her in a few long strides. "You're sure, you're okay?" he asked again as she tightly gripped a tree when he brushed past her.

"Yep." she gulped as she forced a smile on her face, "I'm just fine."

Casting one last skeptical look in her direction, Wyatt nodded and motioned for Lucy and Rufus to follow him, determined to keep an eye on her…just in case.

Notes:

Hello! I promised you I would try to update this while I was away and I'm keeping that promise. Technically, I'm in between trips right now, but as I'm about to push off again I thought I'd give you a little update. I debated a lot on where to end this chapter...it was initially longer, but i ultimately decided to end it where I did because I think it just flows nicer.

I actually got a lot done on this fic AND on WMHB while I was in TX. I should be able to update WMHB soon...I know I say that all the time, but I am so wrapped up in this fic, it takes precious writing time away from that one. It's essentially finished, it's just me needing to round out the narrative...but it's been that way for over a month now...I just type a paragraph here and a paragraph there as I can. What can I say? I'm living in my Stranded fic and I don't want to leave it. LOL.

Wyatt now suspects that Lucy isn't being quite as vocal about things as she could be in regards to her own comfort and well...that's going to lead us places...and I hope you'll enjoy those places as much as I've enjoyed writing them.

As for the history...that's all true. Louis Coulon was the brother of Joseph Coulon de Jumonville and while he was the only man George Washington ever surrendered to, he also was led to believe (through the interpreter) that George Washington had basically ordered the assassination of his brother via tomahawk through the skull. Needless to say, there's not a lot of love there. That one event...the murder of Joseph Coulon basically started a world war. It promoted the French to attack in retaliation against Washington at the hastily crafted Fort Necessity...(and I'm actually headed up there with the kiddos for a visit) and well, that butt-kicking upset the British and well...all hell broke loose. As many of you know, I'm sure, the French and Indian war was also known as the Seven Year's war and was fought in Europe as well as the Americas, so yeah...things escalated to a global scale...because of one guy with a tomahawk.

Anyway, I hope you liked this update. Thanks, as always, for reading.