Chapter 10: A New Objective
The squeak of an opening door pierced Lucy's dreamless sleep like nails on a chalkboard. She felt as if she had just closed her eyes, but from the stiffness plaguing her left side, she knew that she must have been asleep for hours. She groaned as she shifted under the covers, wondering why the hell she hadn't thought to take her robe off before clambering into bed. As she rolled over her hand brushed, not against Wyatt, but against the freezing metal wall of the bunker. A moment of confusion and suddenly, the events of the previous night came crashing down on her like an icy cold shower. With a gasp, Lucy sat bolt upright in the bed, only to discover with a horrified yelp that her fears were confirmed…she was not only in Flynn's room…she was sleeping in his bed.
"Oh my God." Lucy stammered out as she raised a shaking hand to her head, "What did I do?"
She startled backwards in the covers at the sight of Flynn smirking at her and handing her a cup of coffee, "Still here, I see?"
Lucy tore the blankets away from her and slid her feet back into her slippers, "I'm…I'm so…I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have…"
"You needed the sleep." Flynn shrugged, "I didn't mind taking the couch." Shame-faced, but relieved that Flynn had apparently been a gentleman, Lucy took a sip of the proffered coffee, "That's not decaf, by the way." Flynn noted with a nod.
Lucy chuckled and muttered an awkward, "Thanks" remembering his tip from the day before as she took another sip from her mug. She closed her eyes and delighted in the warmth that filled her as she savored the aromatic pleasure that was a morning cup of coffee. The last vestiges of sleep began to melt away the more she indulged, causing her to inwardly laugh at herself for not realizing Wyatt's deception before Flynn had made her aware.
Wyatt.
Spewing out her coffee, Lucy untangled herself from the mess of blankets still wrapped haphazardly around her form and made a clumsy lunge for the door.
Flynn gaped at her in mock surprise, "What's wrong?" he asked as a hint of smile formed on his lips.
"I'm sorry, I…I should go. I should not be here with you…like this." Lucy stammered out in mortification.
"Like what?" Flynn said with a frown and shrug. "We're two adults chatting over coffee."
"Yes, but I'm in your room, Flynn…that's…that's…"
"It's not as if you did anything you should be ashamed of." Flynn muttered in a lazy drawl as he took a sip of coffee from his own mug. "There's really no need to rush off, Lucy."
"No, I didn't…I mean…we didn't…I mean, you said yourself, you slept on the couch…so…"Lucy nodded in agitation, looking to Flynn for verification, "nothing happened…right?"
Flynn chuckled in amusement and shook his head.
Sighing in relief, Lucy gripped onto the door handle, "I don't mean to be rude, thank you…for you know…helping me…but really…I should go." Lucy stammered in embarrassment as she pushed the door open and stumbled into the hall. Thinking she should probably freshen up before returning to her bedroom, she turned on her heel to make for the bathroom only to find herself face to face with a stunned looking Wyatt, a look of utter betrayal etched all over his newly woken face.
Lucy froze on the spot, feeling the flush of shame rise on her cheek as she dropped her gaze from Wyatt's face to the fuzzy tips of her slippers. "This…this isn't what it looks like." she stammered out in agitation.
Wyatt said nothing for a long while. Whether it was because he didn't know what to say or was just too stunned to speak, was anybody's guess…Lucy certainly couldn't look him in the eye. All she knew was the awkward silence that filled the space between them was enough to make her wish that the floor would just open up and swallow her whole.
When Wyatt did speak, his voice broke through the unsettling quiet like a cannon shot, even though his voice was little more than a whisper. "It looks like you spent the night in Flynn's room." he said in a soft voice quavering with emotion "Are you telling me that's not true?"
"No…that's true." Lucy breathed out in a half sob. "But Wyatt…" He, however, didn't wait around for her explanation, instead, he turned and made his way back down the hall away from her.
She felt sick.
Of course, Wyatt would be upset. He had been nothing but kind and patient with her…even that trick with the coffee was him acting out of concern…and what had she done in return? She pushed him away all week, snuck out of their room in the dead of night only to be found the next morning stumbling out of Flynn's bedroom. Flynn's bedroom.
If it had been Rufus' she was pretty sure Wyatt wouldn't have reacted nearly the same way. Hell, if it had been Rufus' room they would've all been laughing at the absurdity of the whole situation.
Why the hell did she agree to talk with Flynn in there? Why the hell did she drink so much?
As much as she didn't look forward to what was promising to be a very awkward conversation, she knew she had to set things right…and fast. She raced down the hall after Wyatt, holding onto the front of her robe as she quickly turned the corner and found him in deep conversation with a grave looking Agent Christopher.
"Wyatt…please, I need to expl" she began, but as they both turned their faces to look at her when she approached, she let out a horrified gasp. The entire left side of Agent Christopher's face was battered and bruised, though it was obvious that attempts had been made to conceal it with make-up. Lucy rushed to her side in concern, "What happened?" she breathed out.
Agent Christopher exchanged a dark look with Wyatt who nodded solemnly, before casting a quick, but serious glance at Lucy and walked away again, leaving her alone with the Homeland Security Agent. "I think you and I need to have a talk, Lucy." she muttered gently as she led her away towards her bedroom.
Once inside, Agent Christopher shut the door and ushered Lucy to one of the two chairs in the room. "What happened to you?" Lucy breathed out in a voice of concern. "Who…who did that to you?"
Agent Christopher shrugged off Lucy's questions with a wave of her hand, "How are youfeeling?" she asked gently and with real concern.
"Me?" Lucy asked incredulously. "I'm…I'm fine. But you…"
"Don't worry about me. I can handle this…it's part of the job." Agent Christopher dismissed with a wave of her hand as she leaned forward and studied Lucy seriously, "But you…you've been through a lot these past few weeks and I'm just concerned with how you're holding up."
Although touched by the genuine affection Agent Christopher showed for her, couldn't help but feel like she was being evaluated. Lucy spat out defensively, "I'm fine…really." Lucy assured to a doubtful looking Agent Christopher, "Look, I know I haven't been sleeping, but…"
Agent Christopher waved her hand, "That's not what I'm asking. It's only natural for you to have trouble sleeping after everything you've been through." she said quietly, "But, Lucy…it's okay to admit that things aren't fine…so let me ask you again, how are you?
Lucy sighed as tears sprang to her eyes, "I've been better." she admitted ruefully.
"Naturally." Agent Christopher said with a small sad smile, "as I said, you've been through a hell of a lot these past few weeks…and you haven't been trained as I have…or even as Wyatt has to deal with these kinds of situations."
Lucy let out an exasperated sigh. She was tired of being told that she was "just a civilian"…she was pretty sure that no longer applied to her the moment Homeland Security knocked on her door and basically strong armed her into jumping into a time machine. Hadn't she proven herself time and time again? Granted, she would be the first person to admit that she was not anywhere close to the same level Wyatt was in terms of combat readiness, but had she ever shied away from danger or risk? Had she ever complained that she wasn't trained and prepared the same way Wyatt had been? Even when bad things did happen, she did her best to keep her fears to herself so that she wouldn't affect the rest of the team. This last run-in with Rittenhouse was the perfect example. Telling Wyatt what Rittenhouse had threatened her with would only serve to upset them both…
"Wait a minute" Lucy asked as she narrowed her eyes at Agent Christopher, "Did Wyatt put you up to this?"
Typically, she wouldn't have ever suspected that Wyatt would go to Agent Christopher in an attempt to wheedle information out of her. But, given his upset over Flynn…and the fact that she interrupted the two of them before Agent Christopher declared her need to "have a talk" with Lucy, she couldn't help but think that maybe, out of sheer desperation, he had recruited her to his cause in the hopes that under the combined pressure, Lucy would crack and confess all that Rittenhouse had put her through.
Agent Christopher, however, negated those fears directly, "Wyatt didn't tell me anything, Lucy." she said with a reassuring smile. "He's worried about you…I can see that with my own eyes." Lucy nodded as she bit her lip and shifted uncomfortably. "We're all worried about you…but that's not why I wanted to speak with you…well, not entirely anyway." Agent Christopher sighed heavily as she sat back in her chair and considered Lucy for a few moments before saying in a voice laden with regret, "The reason I wanted to talk with you…well, there's no better way to put this…we have a serious problem."
Panic stole through her as she observed the solemn expression on Agent Christopher's face. Had they done it? Had they brought Jessica back?
Then she remembered that they couldn't have…because Wyatt was still here and angry that she had spent the night in Flynn's room. Shaking her head to focus her thoughts she leaned forward in her chair and touched Agent Christopher's hand, "What…what happened?"
A soft knock on the door interrupted Agent Christopher's attempt at a reply. As they both turned to look at the door, Wyatt stepped in, ice pack in hand, offering it to Agent Christopher, who took it from him gratefully. He nodded his head and turned to go again, but Agent Christopher stopped him, "Wyatt, seeing as this affects you too, I think you should probably stay for this…if that's alright with Lucy, of course."
At that, Lucy was nearly beside herself with dread. Something terrible must have occurred to involve them both. Wyatt looked towards her, hurt still evident on his face, but seeing that Lucy made no objection, he shut the door again and stuffed his hands in his pockets, his attention turned fully towards Agent Christopher. "What's going on?" he asked seriously.
"Well…as I said, there's no way to sugar coat this, Lucy. Rittenhouse wants you dead." she remarked with sigh.
"That's nothing new." Lucy quipped glibly heaving out a small sigh of relief, but Wyatt was clearly affected by the news. He began pacing the room in agitation, casting sidelong glances at Lucy as he did so. "Emma tried to kill us all in Darlington." Lucy reminded them both, "This isn't all that surprising."
Not giving any heed to Wyatt's clear apprehension, Agent Christopher continued on gravely, "That may be, but I have it on good authority that their number one mission is to eliminate you."
Lucy swallowed hard, not daring to look at Wyatt who breathed out a curse. "How do you know this?" she asked Agent Christopher quietly.
"I got called into a very unexpected meeting with your mother." she responded with a smirk. "As you see," the Homeland Security continued as she motioned to her face, "we did not end it on the best of terms."
Lucy hung her head, ashamed at the lengths her mother had gone to for retaliation. "I'm so sorry," Lucy apologized as she fought to keep her tears at bay, "I'm so sorry you had to go through all of that."
"You don't ever have to apologize to me for your mother's actions, Lucy." Agent Christopher assured her firmly. "You should know, however, that she seems to be actually concerned about your welfare."
Lucy scoffed as the silent tears she failed to quell, rolled down her face, "That's a first." she muttered sardonically.
"She beat the hell out of you to let you know that she's worried about Lucy's welfare?" Wyatt muttered, disbelieving.
"She wants you off the missions" Agent Christopher explained. "she wants me to bench you."
Lucy's eyes darted to hers as she swallowed hard again, "Are you?" she asked in a quavering voice.
"I told her that wasn't my call to make." Agent Christopher sighed as she leaned back in her chair. She smiled, "And as I said, she didn't take that very well." Lucy cast her eyes downward, humiliated that her family had caused so much pain for the people she cared most about in the world. "You have the choice, Lucy. You should not feel in any way obligated to risk your life any more than you already have. We have Flynn now, he can round out the team…you can brief before they go…"
"What?" Lucy gasped out in alarm. "No…no…"
"Lucy," Wyatt argued, "Didn't you hear what she just said? They're going to kill you."
"No." Lucy maintained as she her eyes darted between Agent Christopher and Wyatt, "Nothing has changed. My life was always at risk on these missions." She looked at Wyatt firmly as she maintained, "The same as everybody else."
"Lucy, this isn't some question of collateral damage, dammit!" Wyatt spat out forcefully, "Their objective is to kill you."
"There is no way I am staying in this bunker while everyone else is risking their lives to stop Rittenhouse." Lucy snapped back. She pointed to Agent Christopher's face, "My mother did that…it's not fair for others to suffer while I hide." She took a steadying breath as she looked back at Agent Christopher, "I will do the missions just as I always have."
Wyatt breathed out another curse as Agent Christopher eyes darted between them, "Alright, Lucy. It's your decision, as long as you are fully aware of the risks?"
Lucy nodded her head resolutely, "I am." she maintained.
"Good." She sighed as she stood up from the chair, "Well, I must say, your mother certainly underestimated you. We're used to seeing these intimidation tactics in the field, but you…well, let's just say if you were my daughter, I'd be proud."
Wyatt, however, was not proud. He was angry. Shaking his head in frustration, he stormed out of the room and made his way down the hall. Agent Christopher looked to Lucy with concern, "Well…he didn't take that well. I'm sorry…I can speak to Wyatt, if you'd like."
"No." Lucy said softly with a shake of her head, "I'll do it." she muttered as she watched the Homeland Security Agent leave the room.
Now there was something else that she needed to smooth over with Wyatt. If Rittenhouse's plan was to drive a wedge between them, they were doing a bang-up job. Using Jessica as leverage against Lucy had been a brilliant move on their part now that she had come to think of it.
Scare tactic, that's what Flynn had said it was.
And she had played right into their hands. She was so scared of losing Wyatt that she pushed him away when she should have opened up and talked with him. Yes, she was terrified that Wyatt would betray a hope for Jessica's return, but at least, then, she would've known how he felt. Hadn't she asked him before the Salem mission what he would do if she came back? Didn't she tell him then that they needed to have a discussion about this very thing? But as it turns out, talking in hypotheticals is a hell of a lot easier than talking in absolutes. With the actual threat of Jessica's return looming over her like a dark shadow, Lucy had lost her courage, pushed Wyatt away, and confided in Flynn.
How on Earth was Wyatt ever going to forgive her for that?
Sighing heavily, she pulled on a pair of jeans and a sweater and made her way down the hall in search of him, hoping against all hope that he would understand.
She found him brooding by the kitchen sink, glaring at Flynn who was sitting in his regular nook, nonchalantly reading a novel. Lucy approached him tentatively under the guise of making herself a cup of tea. She cast wary glances at him as she heated her kettle, finally muttering softly, "Listen, Wyatt…I know you're worried about me, but you don't have to be." Wyatt flinched as if he were burned, causing Lucy to continue anxiously "This is…" Lucy bit her lip in thought trying to decide what would help dispel his fears when she saw Flynn move out of the corner of her eye, "a scare tactic." she murmured, remembering what Flynn had told her to ease her own fears. "That's it…it's just another one of their manipulations."
"The hell it is, Lucy." Wyatt gritted back, his eyes still focused on Garcia Flynn.
Noticing his line of sight, Lucy steeled herself and decided to address the tall, Croatian elephant in the room, "Wyatt…about last night…nothing...nothing happened." she explained in a pleading voice, "Flynn and I…we just talked…that's all."
Wyatt scoffed, not looking at her, "So, you can talk to Flynn but you can't talk to me?"
Wyatt may not have been looking at her, but the bitterness with which he asked that question drove into Lucy like a knife. She had no defense, really, for what she had done. Wyatt had saved her from the clutches of Rittenhouse, raided the compound with literal guns blaring, had been nothing but kind and patient…and she had coldly brushed him away. He had done nothing to deserve such treatment from her. Lucy stood next to him, shame-faced and repentant, hardly knowing what to say. "Wyatt…" she stammered out, "I didn't mean to…"
The sound of the alarm prevented any further discussion, however, and Lucy found herself looking at an empty space where Wyatt had been as he rushed forward to find out what the next mission entailed.
"What is it?" he almost demanded of Rufus as he approached the control deck.
"Um…March 4, 1919…New York." Rufus reported with a look towards Lucy who was slowly making her way towards the rest of the team, "Got any idea what that's about?"
Lucy clenched her eyes shut in thought, cursing Rittenhouse's timing. "Um…well, that was Woodrow Wilson's last day in the United States before travelling to Paris to negotiate the Treaty of Versailles." she offered, "but, as far as an event…"
"So, you think Wilson might be the target?" Agent Christopher asked.
"Could be." Lucy said with a shrug and a shake of her head, "The Treaty of Versailles basically reorganized the whole world after the first World War. Empires were broken up, colonial holdings were diminished, nation's borders were redrawn…Germany was forced to pay reparations for the war and they lost a lot of land…it really set the stage for Hitler's rise to power."
"So…this is a good thing?" Rufus asked blankly. "Because from where I'm sitting maybe it's not such a bad idea to stop the Treaty that gave us Hitler."
"I don't know, Rufus." Lucy said desperately, "It could be anything…it could have nothing to do with Wilson at all..."
"It could be a ploy to get to you." Wyatt muttered, his arms still folded firmly across his chest. "Agent Christopher just told us Rittenhouse's number one objective is to eliminate you…what better way than to have you scrambling around in New York on some wild goose chase."
The entire team looked at Lucy with rapt concern. She shifted uncomfortably under the tension and the heat of Wyatt's pointed gaze. "Um…what's this now?" Rufus asked as he looked between Wyatt and Lucy.
"We don't know that this is a wild goose chase." Lucy countered, "And it doesn't change anything." Lucy explained to Rufus casting a wary eye to Wyatt. "All of our lives are at risk every time we go out on these missions." She swallowed thickly, before maintaining firmly, "I'm not hiding."
"That's the spirit Lucy." Flynn observed as he closed his book with a snap and made his way over to the huddled team. "Show them what you're made of and all of that."
"Who the hell asked you?" Wyatt growled.
"Nobody asked me." Flynn said with a frown, "I just thought I'd remark on Lucy's bravery. As I said before, she's tougher than she looks."
While grateful for Flynn's support on her behalf, Lucy inwardly groaned at his interference. Wyatt was already angry that Lucy not only slept in Flynn's room but had talked with him too…having Flynn come to bat for her defense against Wyatt's pleas that she stay hidden and protected in the bunker?
That was not going to go over well.
"This isn't a question of being tough" Wyatt spat back. "Lucy has a target on her back and we need to stop pretending that Rittenhouse won't put their money where their mouth is. If they get the chance," Wyatt argued passionately, "they will kill her."
"Well, then I guess it's up to you to make sure that doesn't happen" quipped Flynn with a smug smirk. "That's your job, isn't it? To eliminate Rittenhouse?" He chuckled darkly, "And yet even after raiding their Headquarters, you still managed to let them get away."
Wyatt stood there seething at Flynn. Yes, he had allowed Emma and Carol Preston to escape, but he had to in order to protect Lucy…and he would make that same damn call again with no regrets. "My objective was to bring Lucy home safely…after you let those assholes take off with her in '34."
"Wyatt…" Lucy interrupted gently. "Flynn didn't know…" but one pain-filled look from Wyatt made her wish she hadn't said anything at all.
Wyatt, in fact, was hurt. Hurt, stunned and upset that she defended Flynn…and yet said nothing when Flynn had accused him of allowing Rittenhouse to escape. Agent Christopher's words the night of the raid came back to haunt him as he stood there staring at her, Your relationship may be the problem here. Perhaps Lucy is distancing herself from you for the good of the team.
Could that really be the reason? The reason he felt like she was slipping away from him? Did Lucy really think that their relationship had compromised them both so much that it was now a danger to them and everyone? Or was there something else going on?
"Well, at any rate" Agent Christopher said with a warning glance between the two men, "Seeing that Mr. Carlin tells me we are now capable of sending four people on these missions," Rufus nodded his head solemnly, "the two of you will be able to work together to see that Ms. Preston comes back to us safely."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa." exclaimed Wyatt, "are you telling me that we have to take Flynn?"
"Why not?" Agent Christopher asked, "We've got four seats now and you can use the backup."
"No, we're good." Wyatt spat out as he brushed roughly past Flynn, "we're a team already, we're the Beatles, we don't need Yoko."
"You do realize there were four members of the Beatles, right?" Flynn quipped back as Wyatt glared at him.
"You are taking Flynn and that's final, Wyatt." Agent Christopher ordered.
Flynn sneered as he made his way into the LifeBoat, looking every bit like the smug sonofabitch Wyatt always took him for. Having Flynn stand in for him on missions was one thing…and hell, that had been hard enough to stomach, but to be forced to work hand in hand with the man who had literally sold them out to H.H. Holmes? Hadn't the four of them worked with Flynn once before and lived to regret it? Wyatt didn't give a damn what Flynn did or did not do on these last couple missions, he was still a murdering psychopath as far as he was concerned.
The problem was…he seemed to be the only one who remembered that.
In one last attempt at pleading his case, Wyatt turned at the top of the stairs to argue, but Agent Christopher wasn't interested in hearing anymore, "Flynn's going, Wyatt. End of discussion."
Upon entering the Lifeboat, Wyatt was faced with the unpleasant sight of Flynn sitting next to Lucy. Whether or not she was happy with the arrangement was not so readily apparent as she refused to meet his eye, but at that point, Wyatt didn't care. So angry was he at the seating arrangements, he turned in his chair and absolutely refused to look at either one of them as they traveled 99 years into the past.
Once they landed in 1919, things were no better. Wyatt, unable to stand the sight of Flynn smirking at him while sitting next to Lucy, promptly unbuckled his harness and jumped out of the hatch without so much as a word to the rest of the team. "All right, then" murmured Rufus as he clambered out after him.
Lucy, feeling the full weight of the tensions and awkwardness, quickly undid her own harness with the sole purpose of chasing Wyatt down and smoothing the waters. She was prevented from leaving the time machine, however, by Garcia Flynn who had gallantly held her back so that he could exit the LifeBoat before her, apparently to assist her on her way out. From the smug look on Flynn's face, however, Lucy knew his motivations were not so much chivalrous as they were mischievous.
Wyatt, who despite his upset, had been standing by to help Lucy as he always did, didn't even have a chance to lift an arm to help Lucy, before Flynn stepped in front of him and took her hand. Seeing this, Wyatt huffed out an angry breath and stalked away.
"Stop it." she hissed as he assisted her down from the time machine.
Flynn frowned as she tumbled to the ground, "I don't know what you're talking about, Lucy. I was just trying to be helpful."
"You know exactly what I'm talking about." Lucy gritted out, "Things are already awkward enough as it is."
"That's Wyatt's problem," Flynn drawled out lazily, "he should trust you. You're a grown woman, capable of making her own decisions, aren't you?"
Lucy stared hard at Flynn, "Of course, I am."
Flynn shrugged, "Then that is something Wyatt is going to have to come to terms with….and if he has a problem with it, he can talk to you about it. You did nothing wrong."
Lucy scoffed. Of course, she didn't do anything wrong in talking with Flynn…but the issue was more complicated than that…wasn't it? Flynn was, after all, the man who had tried to kill them countless times and Wyatt had good reason not to trust or like him.
But Lucy had always seen the humanity in Flynn, even at his worst. And whether Wyatt liked it or not, Flynn had helped her with her anxiety over Jessica…and he had given her a bit more insight on the journal. Flynn was right…Wyatt should have trusted her enough to know that she had her reasons for confiding in Flynn…and he certainly should never have suspected that anything else had happened between her and Flynn that night.
There wasn't enough vodka in the world to allow that to happen.
"Let's just get this mission over with, shall we?" Lucy snapped back as she brushed past him and followed quickly after Wyatt and Rufus.
Notes:
Okay...for those of you reading the Torrent epilogue, you might have remembered I made a promise to update as soon as I updated this one...well, I'm not trying to cheat you. This chapter has been giving me FITS, I rewrote it several times and finally I cut it in half...because the last half is the biggest problem.
SO...my promise still stands, you're just getting a quicker update with this one than you would have had i labored through that mess. I actually prefer it this way. It was getting too long and the narrative was getting lost, so confining it into two chapters instead of one, I think, helps with the flow.
I really do apologize for how long this has taken to update. I am trying really hard to get this one finished so I can focus my attention on the Stranded AU I've got started. I hope you enjoy this update...there's a lot of angst right now...but I promise you, it will be worth it. At least, I think it is.
I hope you enjoy the changes that I made. I have a lot more surprises in store for you in the future that I hope you will like...some you may not...but as many of you know, I am a sucker for happy endings, so it will all work out in the end!
I appreciate your reading and reviewing so much. It definitely fuels me through these tougher chapters...because some days the motivation to attack these stories just isn't there. So again, thank you for being my virtual cheerleaders!
