NOTES:

I really am a glutton for punishment. I have zero time to be doing this, BUT this fic has been in the works since immediately after I finished Torrent and I'm sick of it sitting in my computer. It's not done..not even close...BUT I wanted to at least get the first chapter published so that 1) I make good on my promise to those of you who are actually still reading Timeless fan fiction 2) Give this story (even part of it) a chance to live outside of my laptop 3) round out a story that gave me so much pleasure to write.

Yes, I'm still working on Stranded...and yes, that one is ALMOST done...and yes, the next chapter is long in coming..I promise it's close, I've just been so busy I haven't had a chance to proof it. The few chapters I have done of this one keep staring me in the face, taunting me...and well, I just needed to at least put one chapter out there.

I hope you enjoy it - don't ask me when I'll post Chapter 2. I've got to finish Stranded first...and move overseas.


A heavy cloud of cigarette smoke hung overhead as Lucy Preston wound her way through the bowels of the Sands Casino. Evening gowns sparkled around every turn - ladies dressed to the nines in satins and furs studded with diamonds gracing the arms or the laps of men whose fists and wallets were bulging with cash. The glitz and glamour of 1960s Las Vegas was a world unto itself, a snapshot of an era on the unknowing brink of its demise. An era before Vietnam, before the Summer of Love, before women's rights…and well, it was enough to make anyone's head turn…and hers had, at first…but now? Now, Lucy was less inclined to romanticize Sin City as a playground for the It crowd of the 1960s and more apt to consider it as nothing more than a celebration of booze, cards…and healthy dose of male chauvinism.

She had stopped counting the pairs of wanton eyes that seemed to follow her every move as she slinked by in her barely there dress (a considerable step up from the corset and lined stockings she was first presented with). But as yet another lecherous pig took aim and smacked her squarely on her bottom, she knew this dress, for all of its comparative modesty, wasn't exactly doing her any favors. She had been pinched, groped, smacked, cat called and almost kissed, but she knew it would do no good to demand respect from this crowd. It was clear, from the treatment of just about every other woman in the room, that this was, unfortunately, just how things were done in this age.

Glamourous, indeed.

Besides, with the putrid fog of cigar and cigarette smoke currently burning both her lungs and her eyes, Lucy reasoned that keeping her mouth shut wouldn't just keep her from wasting her time it would literally save her breath. So, that is why with more cleavage showing than she ever felt comfortable with and a slit that made her full-length skirt practically useless, Lucy pressed on through the crowded room in silence – ignoring the remarks, the hands and the wolf whistles as her dark eyes scanned the crowd in search of Wyatt Logan.

There was something off with him tonight. Granted, she didn't know him that well. So what if they were one of a literal handful of people who had traveled through time? It didn't change the fact that they had met merely a few 72 hours ago - though in that time, they had traveled centuries together, chasing after the domestic terrorist, murderer and time machine hijacker, Garcia Flynn.

Still, Wyatt was edgy…more edgy than usual. It probably didn't help that Judith Campbell, the woman they were trying to protect, had just gotten the best of him and escaped…with Garcia Flynn, no less. Their hope to get five steps ahead of Flynn and how Chrissy Pitt fit into all of this had escaped in a pair of 4 ½ inch heels. They had fought…and he had disappeared and now she, she had gone looking.

Lucy finally found him an eternity later, having worked her way through a maelstrom of groping hands, pressing bodies and gaming tables, standing at the Western Union desk in the hotel lobby looking even more agitated than he had been before. Confusion first, then morose understanding painted her features as she quietly approached him from behind, realizing before he uttered a single word what he was about to do.

Wyatt's greatest single regret had been the untimely death of his wife, Jessica. He had told Lucy as much on their very first assignment together, mere hours after she had met him. Sitting in that dirty New Jersey jail cell in 1937, Wyatt had reluctantly admitted to Lucy that their contact on that mission, Kate Drummond, had reminded him of his late wife, whose death.- for whatever reason – had been his fault. He hadn't elaborated beyond that – didn't need to – Lucy could readily see the torment in his eyes, the heavy guilt that had weighed him down for nearly five years – she could hear the pain and longing in his voice as he gritted out, "If I could just change that one…"

Lucy understood that sentiment. No sooner had they landed back in the present after that unsuccessful time traveling stint to the Hindenburg, then she discovered that her sister, her only sister, had never been born. Amy Preston had been completely erased from existence and she, Lucy Preston was now not only an only child to a mother who was no longer dying of terminal cancer, but a fiancé, to a man she had never even met. Her entire world had been flipped upside down because of one devastating error that she wanted nothing more than to fix. But time travel was funny that way…there were no second chances, no revisiting a time in which you already existed…in short, there was no way you could revisit a time in your own life and have a do over.

Though it seemed Wyatt had found a way to bypass that certain rule.

Jessica – I know this might be hard to understand, but whatever happens on Saturday, February 11, 2012…go home with Wyatt. Even if he is being an ass. Just…let him take you home…and know that he loves you…more than you will ever know.

Lucy hadn't meant to overhear, but the moment he started relaying his message, she couldn't help herself. Wyatt Logan was a bull-headed, reckless, hothead who drove her up the proverbial wall with his complete disregard for history and single minded 'get the job' done mentality, but underneath that stony exterior, he was…vulnerable. In those rare moments, when his guard came down, Lucy saw a heartbroken man burdened by years of grief, loss and pain…and she couldn't help but feel for him. Wyatt Logan, for all of his stellar reputation as the bravest of the brave in Delta Force, was actually human. More than that though, he displayed a surprising amount of empathy towards her that didn't quite fit with the initial impression she had of him. It was Wyatt who, more than anyone else at Mason, showed real concern for her when she announced in a panic that Amy had disappeared. Hell, it wasn't just concern – he was almost angry that her distress and heartache were being completely dismissed by Homeland Security in the face of the next mission.

Coming from him, especially, that meant something.

Soldier that he was, Lucy hadn't expected him to care that she was practically beside herself with grief. After the way he goaded her before their first mission, seemingly annoyed by her anxiety and claustrophobia, she was absolutely stunned that he, of all people, didn't just sympathize with her…he came to her defense. Then there were those small moments in the Lifeboat, whether helping her with her safety harness, or taking her hand to comfort her, Wyatt Logan was, with every thoughtful act, proving to be more than just the self-assured jackass that had very nearly killed her on that first mission with that risky shot. He was…a gentleman.

Unlike the boozy son of a bitch who just groped her on his way to the slot machines.

The mortification she felt at being man-handled once again by yet another over-zealous gambler in a bad toupee, however, was nothing compared to the horror she felt when Wyatt turned suddenly and saw her standing there, a few feet away from him. Wyatt Logan relished his privacy…and she knew he was very much aware that, given her proximity, she had overheard every word he had relayed to that Western Union clerk – the flush on his face and the look of shame that spread across his features was evidence enough of that.

"It worked in Back to the Future II." he said by way of explanation, clearly uncomfortable that she had witnessed him, once again, revealing a bit too much of himself. That shame quickly turned to frustrated irritation as he pushed past her with a huff, "I know what you're going to say…" he began, but Lucy cut him off before he could continue with his assumption.

"No, you don't." Lucy shook her head at him as he tried to argue, "I understand, Wyatt," she implored gently, "I would do anything to get my sister back."

"Look," Wyatt began somewhat sheepishly, "I'm sorry about before. I get it – it's your job. Keeping history the way it's meant to be?" He scoffed as he continued, "I don't believe in "meant to be" though, or fate, or anything like that…and if you knew how Jess died," he added with a heavy sigh, "you would know there's no such thing. It's all just dumb luck, random chance…just a roll of the dice."

Lucy wanted to do more than just stand there and gawk at him…but this was Wyatt and giving him a hug seemed a little out of the question. She had already had to dismiss Judith Campbell's assumption that she was sleeping with him…and given what she had just overheard, she certainly didn't want to invade any more of his personal space. Thankfully, she was spared any further awkwardness by the sudden appearance of their breathless pilot, Rufus.

"Christy Pitt," he explained with a gasp. "It's not a person…it's the Christy Pit – named after the physicist Robert Christy. It's slang…for an A-bomb's plutonium core."

Dumbfounded and more than a little unnerved, Wyatt and Lucy exchanged horrified looks before he turned to Rufus and asked, "Could he take that on the mothership?"

"I don't know." Rufus replied blankly, "It's not something we've ever tried before."

Sarcasm aside, the situation had gone from bad to worse. The idea that Garcia Flynn was about to get his hands on a plutonium core was enough to have them racing out of the casino moments later hoping against all hope that they weren't too late.


The Lifeboat landed back into the present with a sickening jolt. Lucy's white knuckles still gripped the sides of her seat even as Rufus powered the time machine down and turned to look at his companions. "Well," he said slowly, "I guess we better get this over with."

He was just reaching to press the door release when Wyatt stopped him, "Wait," he said, "I um…just wanted to say…thank you," he said with a nod towards Lucy, "You're right. I can't do this alone…obviously." he added with a scoff. "You and Rufus…you really pulled your weight back there."

"Yeah, but I let Anthony get away with the damn nuclear core." Rufus dismissed with a shake of his head. "He was my friend…my mentor…I never thought…"

"Yeah, well…now we know." Wyatt said curtly, before once again turning his eyes towards Lucy. "And just…for the record," he said with eyes full of meaning, "I'm sorry about earlier…I know I shouldn't have done it…but…"

"You don't have to explain, Wyatt." Lucy assured, "It's okay…I…I would have done the same thing." He looked at her as if hardly believing that she was sincere while she continued quietly, "I…I hope it all works out for you."

"That goes for me too, man." Rufus said with a nod, having been told of Wyatt's visit to the Western Union desk on their long walk back through the desert to the Lifeboat. "Who knows," he sighed, "maybe this night won't completely suck after all."

As the door of the time machine lurched open to reveal the lab at Mason Industries, however, any thought of possible happy endings, was done away with at the sight of the Homeland Security team rushing towards them with rapt expectation. Knowing that they were about to drop a literally bombshell on them was enough to make Lucy, Wyatt and Rufus wish they could clamber right back inside the Lifeboat and head off to another century.

"Did you find Flynn?" Agent Christopher asked breathlessly as the trio stumbled their way down the steps of the time machine.

Lucy swallowed hard as she exchanged looks with Wyatt and Rufus. "Yeah," she replied with a gulp, "we found him."

"Well," she asked impatiently, her eyes darting back and forth amongst the team, "what did he want in Las Vegas?"

Given that he was the one who had convinced Wyatt to let Anthony go, Rufus felt he was the one who should deliver the bad news. "You um…you're gonna want to sit down for this."

A dark expression flitted across the Homeland Security officer's face as she directed the trio to the upstairs conference room. With shaking hands, Lucy gripped onto the metal banister, remembering how a mere three days ago she had descended from this same room, aware for the first time that time travel was possible. She had had a sister then…and a somewhat normal life…but now? Now she was about to face a figurative firing squad for allowing a wanted terrorist to escape – to disappear in time with a nuclear core.

How did her life get to be so damn complicated?

When the door was shut behind them, Rufus wasted no time in relaying what had happened, but it didn't make the impact of the situation any less substantial. "You can't be serious?" Agent Christopher whispered dangerously, staring at the three of them with horror.

"We saved Judith Campbell." Lucy maintained…as if that, somehow would make up for the colossal screw up of letting Garcia Flynn abscond with a plutonium core. "History stayed the same."

"But Garcia Flynn is still alive and he got away with an atomic bomb." Agent Christopher replied angrily.

"On the upside," Rufus offered hopefully, "we're finally starting to gel as a team." If Rufus was hoping to ease the tension with that comment, he was sorely mistaken. Wyatt absolutely rolled his eyes and scoffed, Agent Christopher glared at him and even Lucy frowned as Rufus shrugged and muttered despondently, "Just sayin'."

"Well, it makes one part of our job easier," Agent Christopher stated with some finality, "we don't have to rescue Anthony Bruhl anymore, we just have to eliminate him, leaving Flynn without anyone to pilot the Mothership."

"It crossed my mind." Wyatt admitted, remembering how he had tried…dammit he had tried to take Anthony out in that desert…before Rufus jumped in front of his damn gun.

"Didn't you ever get a shot at Anthony?' Agent Christopher asked incredulously.

Wyatt cast a sidelong glance at Rufus before replying with a heavy sigh, "Never a clean shot."

"Well," Agent Christopher practically snarled as she stormed out of the room, "next time make sure you do."

Thoroughly dressed down and humbled, Lucy was the first to make the depressing exodus out of the conference room and down the metal staircase to the bustling control center beyond. She envied each and every one of those lab technicians and engineers, blissfully ignorant that their mission had been an abject failure. Now more than ever she was regretting ever opening her front door to Agent Kondo and his missive from Homeland Security. Notwithstanding the loss of her sister, in the three missions she had been on she had nearly been killed on the Hindenburg, she had had a front row seat to Lincoln's assassination – so much so that she was covered in his blood, and now, she had to somehow go to bed with the knowledge that Garcia Flynn, the man hellbent on destroying history, possessed a nuclear core.

But first – first she desperately needed a shower…and a drink.

Already pulling off her too high heels from her aching feet, Lucy stepped off the staircase with a grunt only to hear the shrill of a wolf whistle to her left. Groaning she threw her head back in frustration, ready to tell the jackass who threw it towards her to "Go to hell" when she turned and found herself face to face with a smiling Jiya. "Looking good, Lucy." she appraised with a nudge.

"Ugh, if I had a nickel for every one of those I got tonight…" she grumbled, pulling a couple of twenties out of her cleavage and slamming them on the desk.

Amused, Jiya chuckled, "Not surprised…given the time and the place." Nodding towards the stack of cash, she teased, "But at least you got something out of it, right?"

"Sure, if you call getting pinched and having my ass slapped incessantly, something. Then yeah, I got plenty of that tonight."

Jiya grinned, "Well, keep that dress on and I'm sure a certain someone will make it all worth it."

Lucy blanched. She had completely forgotten. Dammit. All she wanted to do was go home and suck down a bottle of wine, but her home in this timeline included a fiancé she didn't know and an apartment she had never lived in, filled with pictures she didn't remember taking. "Oh God." Lucy groaned, feeling sick, "I can't even think about that tonight…"

"Yeah, I guess after you've been manhandled by a bunch sweaty, pervy strangers it kind of takes all the fun out of it, huh?" Jiya amended with an apologetic shrug, "Oh well, but seriously, you should keep that dress…you are rocking that look."

"Huh?" Lucy hummed uncomfortably, looking down at herself, "Oh…thanks…but this? This really isn't me."

Rolling her eyes, Jiya huffed, "So you're showing a little skin – if you've got it, flaunt it, right?" Lowering her voice, she added, "Let me guess…Wyatt picked it out?"

Lucy stared back at Jiya in confusion, "Wyatt? No…why would he…no. He didn't. This," she said with a grunt of displeasure, "was Rufus, actually."

"Rufus actually, what?"

Lucy and Jiya both turned to find the man himself sauntering his way down the staircase looking just as exhausted as she felt. Gesturing roughly to her sequined dress, Lucy replied, "You got me this…this…thing."

"Again," Rufus replied with a shrug as he slid in behind his desk, "I didn't invent Vegas. At least I found you a skirt."

Lucy waved him off with a roll of her eyes, determined to march straight to the locker room and take the longest shower of her life, when Jiya grabbed her left hand. "Holy cow!" she gasped, admiring Lucy's engagement ring, "What, did you get lucky playing the tables or something?"

"Huh?" Lucy asked in confusion, before explaining dismissively, "Oh no…no this…this is the same ring I had on this morning."

"You got this upgrade this morning?" Jiya asked stunned, still eyeing the detail, "Where was I?"

"Well, I guess technically he gave it to me before this morning" Lucy rambled on, not hearing her, "but honestly, I'd really not like to think about him or this damn ring right now." she huffed, pulling it off her finger. "Here, look at it all you want…I need a shower." At Jiya's serious and concerned expression, however, Lucy winced, "I know, I know…" she admitted apologetically, "I sound horrible and maybe, maybe I am….but it's just…it's just been a long night and the thought of having to go home to that apartment and…and stay with him after the night I've had…" she clapped her hands to her face and breathed out in frustration, "ugh….I mean, how often can you get away with sleeping on your fiance's couch before he realizes something isn't right?"

"Are…are you guys having trouble?" Jiya whispered quietly, putting a comforting hand on Lucy's arm.

"Yes," Lucy admitted, before amending, "well, I don't know if you can call it trouble considering…we're on completely different planets with this whole…" she looked at Jiya who was staring back at her as if she were about to cry. "I mean," she started again weakly, "he seems really nice…and it's obvious he really cares about me…"

"Cares about you?" Jiya asked incredulously, "Are you kidding? Lucy, he's crazy about you." Shaking her head reassuringly, she urged, "It's just pre-wedding jitters – totally natural. Seriously," she nodded meaningfully, "you two? Total relationship goals."

"Really?" Lucy asked uncomfortably, confused as to how Jiya could possibly know how her relationship was with Noah, "It's just…it's just really awkward, ya know…with…with…."

"This job?" Jiya supplied with a frown.

"I guess you could say that," Lucy nodded as she roughly gestured to the Lifeboat, "I mean, he wouldn't even be here if it weren't for that damn time machine." Startling suddenly as she noticed at least three lab techs staring at her with their mouths slightly agape, Lucy looked down at her chest once more and sighed heavily, "Ugh…that's it - I'm going to change." Rolling her eyes as she stomped away towards the dressing rooms, she muttered, "Excuse me, Jiya."

"Sure thing, Lucy." Jiya muttered, watching her go, her brow still furrowed in confusion and concern. Casting her eyes towards Rufus, she slunk over to his desk and whispered, "Hey, did something happen between Wyatt and Lucy on this mission?"

Stopping mid-type, Rufus glanced up at her in amusement, "You mean like actually…or like," he chuckled as he shook his head, "because it's really funny you should say that, Judith Campbell sort of asked the same thing…"

"Who is Judith Campbell?"

Before Rufus could answer her, however, Connor Mason himself was marching towards them, "Jiya," he called, "I wonder if you could assist uh…Liam over there, he's um…having trouble debugging his system."

Staring back at him in confusion, Jiya shrugged, "Liam? But…he's got a computer science degree…" as Mason lifted his chin and offered her a meaningful nod, however, Jiya shrugged awkwardly and backed away from Rufus' desk, "Okay, yeah…sure, " she relented, "I'll…I'll um…be right back."

When she had moved out of earshot, Mason leaned over Rufus' desk and whispered, "So…did you get it?"

"Yeah, yeah…I got it." Rufus muttered glumly pulling a small recording device out of his jacket pocket. "I still don't know why I need to do this."

"It's not your job to question our benefactors." Mason reminded him. "It's purely for oversight, I assure you."

"Then why be so secret about it?" Rufus argued as Mason quickly marched away. He pushed away from his desk to chase after him, but that plan was derailed as the door to the conference room slammed open above him and Wyatt came running down the stairs. "Where's Lucy?" he asked breathlessly.

"She went to go change…" Rufus began, but before he could even ask Wyatt why he was looking so agitated, he was already explaining.

"She's alive."

"Who's alive?" Rufus asked before realization set in, "Your wife?" At Wyatt's nod, Rufus gaped, "You're kidding? The Back to the Future thing worked? Wyatt nodded again, obviously trying to contain his excitement and joy as he anxiously paced in front of him.

"I can't believe it." Wyatt gushed, "I mean, Rufus…she's alive. She's actually alive." He bit back tears as he shook his head, "Do you have any idea how long I've…"

"I'm really happy for ya, man." Rufus nodded as he slapped Wyatt on the shoulder. "Maybe this is a good sign, right? For Lucy to get her sister back?"

"Maybe." Wyatt agreed as he drew a hand over his face, desperately trying to compose himself. "I have to get out of here…see her." he began, "It looks like she's still living in San Diego…I just…I'm gonna have to take leave or something."

"Good luck with that." Rufus guffawed, "You think Christopher is gonna let any of us off the hook after tonight?" He shook his head, "I feel for you, man, I do…but us letting Flynn take off with that nuclear core didn't exactly earn us any brownie points with the Agent Cheerful, up there. She's not about to sign off on a leave form for any of us."

"But this is different" Wyatt urged. "This is my wife…who has been dead for five damn years." He was just pushing away from the desk, anxious to tell Lucy his news, when she came meandering towards them, still dressed in her Vegas gown, with a look of confusion on her face. "What's wrong?" Wyatt asked, eyeing her in concern, "I thought you went to change?"

"I was going to but…"

"Hey Lucy, guess what?" Rufus interrupted with a smile towards Wyatt, "You're never gonna believe this…but…that Western Un…what's that?"

"What?" Lucy asked with a frown, before startling as Rufus pointed to a delicate ring she was pinching in her fingers. "Oh this? I…I don't know. I found it in my locker. I thought I better check to see if there was a lost and found or something…"

"Lost and found?" Jiya asked incredulously as she made her way back towards Rufus' desk, "You're joking right?"

"Yeah, you're probably right." Lucy amended as she bit her lip, "maybe I should hang onto it and put a notice out instead. Do you guys have a bulletin board or something…"

"Lucy," Jiya laughed in bewilderment, casting confused glances at the three of them, "that's…that's yours."

"Mine?" Lucy asked in confusion, "This isn't mine…I've never seen this before in my lif…" she paused, staring between t the diamond ring pinched in her fingers and the one Jiya was currently sporting on her own as a horrifying realization dawned on her, "No," she said shaking her head, "no…I….it can't be mine…I already have…"

"Wait a minute." Rufus interjected, his own eyes widening in realization, "Is that…is that another engagement ring?" Hopping off of his stool, he approached Lucy and pulled the ring towards him for closer inspection, "Jesus, Lucy," he breathed out incredulously, "how many fiancés do you have?"

"Don't be ridiculous." Lucy gritted out, "This isn't mine…this is just…" she paused, looking towards Jiya for an assurance that would not come, "this...this isn't…" she attempted weakly, but any hope she had of Jiya allaying her fears was dashed to pieces when the young engineer slowly nodded at her. Clenching her eyes shut, Lucy hung her head in dismay, wishing the floor would just open up and swallow her whole. In one last attempt to find some kind of normalcy in all of this, Lucy searched out Jiya's gaze again and tentatively squeaked, "Noah?" As Jiya deliberately shook her head in the negative, a yawning, gaping abyss of anxiety and despair threatened to swallow Lucy whole as she stood there with shaking knees staring at the evidence that, once again, she was in an entirely new timeline…and that now she was facing the prospect of meeting yet another new fiancé. "Oh God." she moaned, nearly faltering where she stood as she pressed her hands to her face, "not again…"

Unable to contain his amusement, Wyatt smirked, "Ten bucks says you won't know his last name either."

"Oh, you stay out of this." Lucy snapped, glaring at him. "Great, just great."she spat out as she gesticulated wildly, "I'm what? Three for three right now?" First, my sister, then Noah…and now…well, now I guess I get to go home and meet my new fiancé. Who knows? Maybe I'll walk into another engagement party…hell, maybe I'll even crash my own wedding!" Shaking her head anxiously as she drew her hand over her face, she moaned, "I just hope there's alcohol, because oh god, do I need a drink."

"Wait." Jiya interjected, stepping away from the desk, "You're serious? You really don't know who your fiancé is?"

"Look, don't judge me, okay?" Lucy groaned as she stuffed the new ring onto her finger, "I just found out about Noah yesterday and now…well, now it appears I have another one. I'm having a little trouble keeping up." Muttering miserably, she admitted, "Never had this problem before, believe me."

"I'm not judging." Jiya promised as she threaded her arm through Lucy's. "But if it will help, I can introduce you…"

"You know him?" Lucy gaped, before covering her mouth and dropping her voice as she looked around the lab, "Oh my gosh, does he work here?"

"Yeah," Jiya beamed with a nod of her head, "yeah…actually he does."

"Oooo I bet it's whatshisface from accounting." Rufus quipped, nudging Wyatt's arm, "Think Robert Todd Lincoln without the mustache…tall, dark…semi-handsome…"

"Are you talking about Jeffrey?" Jiya asked incredulously. "Rufus," she scoffed, "he's gay."

"Huh." he quipped with a frown, "I guess that explains the total lack of women in his life…and his awesome taste in shoes." Undeterred, Rufus shrugged, "Okay, well what about Stephen? I know he's not gay." Pointing across the room to a skinny man with scraggly long hair and bushy beard, Rufus quipped with a shrug, "He likes history. Doesn't he do all that…medieval times stuff?"

"Rufus," Jiya breathed out in exasperation, casting him a withering glare, "It's called LARPing…and he's an intern." Rufus offered a blank stare as if he didn't see the problem, before Jiya added for further measure, "He's only 21 for heaven's sake."

"So," he shrugged, "Lucy's a cougar. I'm not judging."

Momentarily forgetting his own exciting and new development in the face of yet another change to Lucy's timeline, Wyatt nudged Rufus and pointed towards an awkward middle-aged man who had just spilled coffee all over a stack of manila folders, "My money is on Glasses over there," he was barely holding back a chuckle as he added with feigned seriousness, "he seems nice."

Lucy offered both Rufus and Wyatt a withering glare as Jiya tugged at her arm, "Come on, let's go." Dragging her down to the control room floor, JIya weaved with Lucy through the desks at a slow and determined pace, passing scores and scores of interns, engineers, and computer scientists eyeing the two of them warily as they meandered through their various workspaces.

Gripping Jiya's arm, Lucy stilled her, "No…no…you know what?" she whispered anxiously, "Maybe…maybe this isn't such a good idea, after all. I think meeting one fiancé in 24 hours is all I can handle right now. Honestly, I'd rather just go to my mom's and get drunk…"

"Don't you want to meet the man you're head over heels in love with in this timeline?" Jiya hissed at her, pulling her forward until Lucy stumbled after her.

"Not exactly." Lucy muttered as she shied away from one of the men who had been staring at her earlier, praying to God it wasn't him. "I mean, at this rate, I'll probably have another fiancé after our next mission…so what's the point?"

"Believe me when I say you're gonna want to meet this one." Jiya assured her loudly.

"It's Connor, isn't it?" Rufus yelled from across the room, he and Wyatt still standing together hedging bets on who Jiya would stop in front of. "Come on," Rufus called out again, "He's rich, successful, single…interested in history." Turning to Wyatt with a frown, he mused, "Holy crap, it might just actually be Connor."

And for a moment, Wyatt thought Rufus might be right as Jiya meandered her way back towards them, slowing to a halt near the entrance to the hallway where Connor Mason's office lay. Instead of turning down the hall, however, Jiya shook her head and smirked with irritating satisfaction as she pulled Lucy forward until she stumbled to a stop in front of her two teammates, "Wrong again, Rufus."

Exchanging a glance with Wyatt, Rufus chuckled…but stopped, wide-eyed and panicked as he noticed that Jiya was standing before them with her arms crossed in silent expectation, pointedly looking at Lucy. "Oh sh….me?!" he exclaimed in panic, "Oh no…no….no…no…don't…don't get me wrong, Lucy…you're great…but…but…."

"Relax, Rufus." Jiya groaned, rolling her eyes before she gripped onto Lucy's hand and placed it firmly in Wyatt's. "Lucy Preston," she announced with a satisfied sigh, "meet Wyatt Logan…your new fiancé."