Chapter 11: A Desperate Plea

Wyatt was not happy at all.

He had woken up that morning, concern for Lucy first in his mind, when he noticed that not only was she not lying in the bed beside him, the cool feel of the sheets meant that she hadn't been there for quite some time.

He had hated tricking her with that damn decaf coffee, but all he wanted was for her to get a good night's sleep...and well, it appeared to him that she hadn't gotten it. He surmised that maybe she had gone out to the common room to watch some late-night television in an attempt to quiet whatever troubles were brewing in her mind. He had hoped that maybe she had mercifully fallen asleep on the couch.

He never in a million years would have believed that Lucy had actually spent the night in Flynn's room, if he hadn't seen it with his own damn eyes.

Seeing her emerge from that doorway, hearing Flynn's deep chuckle as she made her escape, had brought painful memories to the forefront of his mind; memories that, until that moment, had been long forgotten and buried beneath a mountain of guilt and regret.

He had been away for almost a year. An extremely dangerous mission to the Kandahar region of Afghanistan had forced him to go radio silent on his communications back home. On the rare occasions such calls were permissible, there was not much he could talk about, not much he could say that would allay any fears that Jessica might have had in regards to his safety…and she wasn't happy about that.

He just didn't realize how unhappy.

Coming home a whole month earlier than he had expected, he was hoping to surprise her…and hell, did he ever surprise her.

He didn't get the asshole's name…but he never forgot his face.

"What do you think, Wyatt?" Rufus' voice called him out his dark thoughts. He looked away from the approaching figures of Flynn and Lucy and back towards Rufus who was currently holding a few suits and one dress for Lucy. "You think these will work?" Rufus asked again.

"Sure, whatever." Wyatt said gruffly as he took a pro-offered suit from Rufus' hand.

Rufus eyed him warily as he made his way towards an abandoned warehouse to change, "Hey, Wyatt?" he called softly. "You know…I'm not a huge fan of Flynn coming along on these missions either, but…"

Wyatt didn't wait for Rufus to finish. Instead, he shook his head and entered the warehouse in search of a place to change. He felt oddly outnumbered. His team was somehow not his team anymore…ever since Garcia Flynn infiltrated their lives via the bunker, things began to shift. Lucy and Rufus might be easily swayed by Flynn's charm, but Wyatt could never forget what that man had done to all three of them. He had seen no real acts of heroism from Flynn. Mason was the one who saved the day in 1936. Lucy had been kidnapped in 1934…and sure, he got Rufus out alive, but he couldn't exactly leave the pilot behind, now could he?

Despite everyone else's short-term memories, Wyatt got the distinct impression that Flynn was up to something and he didn't like it one damn bit.

Wyatt found a small room off the main warehouse floor that offered enough privacy in which to change. He was grateful for a quiet moment alone away from reminders of how upside down everything had become. He did not want to think about Flynn, Lucy…any of it. The sound of Lucy's voice and the low rumble of Flynn speaking with Rufus, however, set his blood boiling all over again.

Lucy had told him nothing had happened, but dammit, something had happened. She had talked with Flynn and Wyatt for the life of him couldn't understand how Lucy could trust that sonofabitch over him. How many times had he practically begged her to confide in him since he had delivered her out of her mother's clutches? How many times had he tried to get her to talk to him about what was bothering her?

With Jessica, he understood. His absence had driven her into someone else's arms. With Lucy…he was there, dammit. What the hell had he done wrong this time?

He had just begun buttoning up his heavily starched shirt when Lucy herself burst through the door of the room he had staked out as his own personal changing area. "Oh." she breathed out abruptly, "I didn't realize…I…"

Wyatt quickly finished buttoning up his shirt before grabbing his suit coat and nodding to her tersely as he exited, "The room's all yours." he muttered quietly.

Brushing past her, he felt a pang in his heart that just about threatened to overwhelm him. She meant the world and more to him…more than even she knew…and that was why he wasn't mad at her for sleeping in Flynn's room. He wasn't happy about it – that was for damn sure – but he also knew Lucy, and he trusted her enough to know that when she said nothing like that happened…it didn't happen.

No. He wasn't mad at her at all. He was scared…and frustrated as hell.

That night when he had stormed into Rittenhouse HQ, she had resisted him…she all but refused to come with him. Why? He knew her mother had tried to manipulate her in Salem, tried to convince her that Wyatt couldn't be trusted…so was it so hard to believe that she would pick up where she had left off in 1692? Obviously, something had happened to Lucy in there…something that adversely affected their relationship…and he was pretty damn sure her mother was behind it all.

He thought that by getting her the hell away from that warehouse, from her mother…that things would be different. He thought that coming back to the bunker, with him by her side, Lucy would feel at ease enough to open up to him about what she had suffered. The change of scenery, however, didn't do her any good. She was closed off, aloof, distant…more so than she had been after the first time she had been a Rittenhouse prisoner.

Jiya had told him how she would lie awake every night and stare at the ceiling…and while she was hesitant to open up to Wyatt then, little things would come out. Eventually, she talked to him about the disillusionment she had with her mother, the man she killed to prove her loyalty, the way she cried in his arms when she thought she had lost everything…

Wyatt understood that feeling.

That night by Hedy's pool, he was trying to tell her…but the words wouldn't come. Well, words came…but not the ones he wanted to say. So instead, he tried to show her that he meant what he said that day, she hadn't lost him. Lucy was the one who had saved him, after all. She was the whole reason his life began to have meaning again. He had wanted to tell her how much she meant to him, but he was no wordsmith…hell, he called her "not hideous." How she ever overlooked that pitiful attempt at flattery was beyond him. He knew she was having doubts about his commitment to her…knew she had been worried about his guilt-driven attempts to save Jessica, and like a damn fool, he still didn't say anything to assure her of his devotion.

He tried, instead, to show her.

But it hadn't been enough. She had pushed him away…and instead, found solace, comfort and a confidant in Garcia Flynn.

And if that wasn't enough to drive him to the point of utter madness, now she had a target on her back and instead of taking stock of what her loss might mean to him, she insisted on putting herself in harm's way. He saw it in her eyes during that conversation with Agent Christopher, that same recklessness that defined his existence for so long after Jessica's murder.

She had stopped caring.

He wanted to save her like she had saved him. He wanted to be the reason she had for waking up every morning…just as she was for him…but she wouldn't let him.

And he didn't know why.

"All finished" Lucy announced as she stepped out of the warehouse. She cast a wary eye towards Wyatt who, only met her gaze for a moment before dropping his own and shifting away, determined that now more than ever, he needed to keep his emotions in check. If Lucy was a target, they were all of them going to have to be more diligent than they had ever been to make sure she got home safely.

"What's the plan?" asked Rufus.

"Well," sighed Lucy, "Wilson is staying at the Copley Plaza Hotel…I guess we start there?"

Despite Lucy's repeated protests and insistence that she be treated just as she was on any other mission, Rufus and Flynn could not argue with the logic in Wyatt's argument that if Lucy was a target, she should not be unnecessarily exposed. Therefore, he insisted that they walk in a huddle; Wyatt and Flynn flanking Lucy on both sides, while Rufus took position behind the group.

Lucy however, found the whole thing to be completely ridiculous, "I don't think that they're going to murder me in the middle of a crowded street in New York." she mumbled as they made their way out onto the crowded New York avenue.

"You may not like it, Lucy but if you insist on putting yourself in danger by coming on these missions, then I'm going to insist on being on someone being on your six the entire time." Wyatt countered with a huff. "You know how these people operate, they don't give a damn where you are."

"It's true." Rufus quipped, ignoring Lucy's sigh of exasperation. "Hell, a sleeper nearly killed me and Robert Johnson in 1936."

"Is that when Mason saved the day?" Lucy asked as they paused and waited for a street car to pass.

"Yeah…he didn't even hesitate, he just…bam!" Rufus mimed as he chuckled to himself, "Hey, wait a minute," Rufus asked with a pause, "how did you know about that? I only talked to Wy…oh, never mind, of course he told you."

Casually rocking back and forth on his heels whistling to himself, Rufus was completely oblivious to the fact that his supposition about where Lucy had been supplied with that information was completely and totally false. Naturally Rufus would have assumed that Wyatt would have shared that harrowing tale with her, but the fact that he didn't made the situation all the more awkward. She could feel a flush of shame rise on her cheeks as Wyatt visibly tensed beside her, looking every bit as angry as he had earlier that morning. "Wyatt…" Lucy began, but he shook his head and tugged her along down the street the moment the streetcar clanged away.

She was desperate to talk to him, desperate to make him understand, and while she knew the mission was no place for such a conversation, she couldn't help but feel frustrated that Wyatt would not listen.

They entered the hotel lobby where there were scores of reporters and citizens hoping to catch a glimpse of the President before he returned to Europe to help negotiate the terms of a treaty that would completely reorganize the world. The size of the crowd and the layout of the room made Wyatt nervous. He drew closer to Lucy as he scanned the crowd looking for anyone who might be a potential threat, determined to keep her safe at any cost. When the distinct sound of a gunshot sounded over the already noisy sounds from the lobby, Wyatt gripped Lucy's arm and pulled her over to a column for cover.

"Are we too late?" Lucy breathed out to Wyatt who was scanning the crowd like a hawk. "That was a gunshot, right?"

"Yeah…that was a gunshot, alright." Wyatt replied stoically, still scanning the crowd. Policeman were rushing towards the sound, men and women were scattering here and there, yet from what Wyatt could see there was no immediate threat to them in the lobby.

They watched and waited at the scene until a figure was brought down by a group of policemen, laid out on a crude stretcher, covered in a blanket that was stained with blood. Taking a steadying breath Lucy stepped forward past Wyatt, who grabbed her arm with a hiss, "What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm going to find out what happened." Lucy remarked somewhat irritably, "Just like I would on any other mission." She tugged her arm out of his grasp and made her way over to a nearby police officer, "Excuse me officer, can you tell me what happened? Was President Wilson shot?"

"Sir," the policeman drawled lazily to Flynn who was standing nearby, "please, control your wife."

"Sorry." Flynn apologized, with a slight smirk towards a seething Wyatt. Lucy, doing her best to dispel the already awkward situation, flushed but otherwise pretended that she hadn't heard. Instead, she turned her attention immediately to a reporter standing just opposite them in the lobby.

"Do you know who was shot?" she asked him breathlessly as he scribbled in his notebook.

"Senator Wadsworth." he responded immediately without giving her so much as a glance. "Bullet to the head. They've already arrested some militant suffragette for his murder. Alice Paul."

"Alice Paul?" Lucy gasped out in disbelief. "No…no…that's…that's not right."

"Who's Alice Paul?" Rufus asked in bewilderment.

"Alice Paul," Lucy stated indignantly, "is one of the most influential women in American history. She led the Suffragette movement, I mean, she's a big reason the 19thamendment is passed. She'll lead the National Women's Party for the next 50 years."

"So, the sleeper shot Wadsworth and framed her?" Wyatt asked as he continued to scan the crowd.

"It appears so." Lucy sighed as she bit her lip in thought. "But why?"

"This Wadsworth guy," Rufus quipped, "is he important to history?"

"No…" Lucy muttered thoughtfully, "but Alice is…and when President Wilson comes back to the hotel this afternoon, Alice is supposed to give a speech. That speech changes his mind on the whole suffrage movement."

"Sounds like we need to get Alice out of jail then." Wyatt remarked, "Lucy and I will head to the police station. Rufus, you and Flynn try to find those sleepers."

"Don't I get a say so in this?" Rufus asked with a groan. "I've already been with Flynn on two missions already."

"Yes." Flynn observed in exasperation, "and if you failed to notice, you're still alive."

Casting a sidelong glance to Flynn, Wyatt huffed quietly to Rufus, "You know Lucy's a damn target right now. You think I'm going to trust her safety with Flynn?"

"Wyatt…" Lucy began but Flynn interrupted, "Why not?" he retorted with a chuckle, "she's my wife, after all."

Though the lobby was abuzz with excitement from the numberless reporters, policeman and guests still clambering around the area looking for information on the murder of Senator Wadsworth, an uneasy, tense silence descended all around the gathered foursome, drowning out every other possible sound as Wyatt Logan stared daggers at Garcia Flynn.

Lucy, irritated by Flynn's attempt at a joke, particularly when Wyatt was in such a bad mood as it was, rolled her eyes and huffed out a breath before stating testily, "Really? Can we just please…"

"What's the matter, Wyatt?" Flynn asked, "can't take a little joke?

"Flynn!" Lucy gritted out.

Wyatt, however, was already huffing out a response, "Just stay the hell away from her."

"Wyatt!" Lucy exclaimed, but once again, neither of the men paid her any mind.

"Who?" Flynn asked innocently, "Lucy?" Flynn leaned forward, "You know…she's not your wife, right?"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Wyatt gritted out angrily.

"You know what?" Rufus quipped in an attempt to dispel the tension, "I'm good." He nodded towards Lucy, "You two go right ahead, I'm fine taking this mission with Flynn…good luck with Alice Paul."

"I was merely making the observation," stated Flynn matter of factly, ignoring Rufus' suggestion, "that Lucy is perfectly capable of making her own decisions and you…well, if you have a problem with that then I suggest you take it up with her."

"Will you two just stop it?" Lucy gritted out. "We have a job to do…and I suggest we do that job instead of standing around here fighting like a couple of school yard bullies.

"Fine." Wyatt gritted out in anger as his eyes darted between Lucy and Flynn, "She trusts you more than she trusts me, anyway." He turned roughly on his heel, calling over his shoulder as he made his way to the elevators, "C'mon Rufus…let's get the hell out of here."

"Wyatt!" Lucy gasped out in horrified exasperation. The full shame of what she had almost single-handed done to her and Wyatt's relationship hit Lucy full-force as she watched him stalk away from her. Rounding on Flynn, her face flushed with embarrassment and anger, Lucy spat out, "What the hell are you doing? Do you have any idea how much trouble you've caused?" She shook her head as she began to make her way over towards where Wyatt had disappeared, "I need to talk to him…"

"He'll be fine. Flynn grunted as he gently pulled Lucy towards the hotel entrance, "You can talk to him back at the bunker - we have a job to do, don't we?"

Reluctantly, Lucy allowed herself to be almost dragged out of the hotel by Flynn who, despite Wyatt's earlier observation, seemed very keen on watching out for any danger that could possibly come their way.

"You know, you don't have to walk that close." muttered Lucy angrily as Flynn grasped onto her elbow once more after she yanked it from his grasp. "I am perfectly capable of walking down a street without assistance."

Flynn pursed his lips together in exasperation, "Well, I can't afford to let anything happen to you, now can I? What would Wyatt say?"

"Oh, you suddenly care about what Wyatt thinks?" Lucy spat out. "Because back there at the hotel all you did was make a bad situation worse."

"I made a joke." Flynn sighed in exasperation. "Wyatt chose to take it…"

"Don't give me that. You knew he wouldn't like what you said. So, why do it? Huh?" Lucy demanded. "You know what? Never mind. We don't have time for this…" Lucy muttered as she stepped off the curb, only to be pulled back by Flynn as a street car clanged by. Looking slightly abashed, but still angry at the whole situation, Lucy bit her lip in frustration before mumbling a quiet, "Thanks" to Flynn and moving swiftly across the now clear street.

They made their way to the police precinct in almost total silence after that; Lucy grimacing every time Flynn got a little too near and Flynn doing his best to keep up with Lucy's ever increasing pace.

Once inside, they made their way over to the administrative desk. Lucy stood at the counter for a long while, clearing her throat and tapping her fingers impatiently on the counter, but the police officer on duty refused to look up or even acknowledge her presence. Noting this, Flynn raised his eyebrows and stepped forward, which earned him an immediate response. "Can I help you, sir?" the officer asked.

Ignoring Lucy's eye roll and sigh of exasperation, Flynn nodded pleasantly, "Yes, we're here to see Alice Paul. We're…uh…her lawyers."

"She didn't ask for an attorney." the police officer muttered before glancing back down at his paper.

"She's innocent." Lucy appealed as she stepped forward anxiously.

Appearing to have gotten his attention with that statement, the police officer looked up from his paper, clearly amused. "They found the gun in her room. It doesn't take Sherlock Holmes to figure out that one."

"Sherlock Holmes." Lucy muttered to herself before gasping and calling out to Flynn's surprise, "Is Grace Humiston here today?" The police officer grunted in reply, causing Lucy to bristle slightly before clearing her throat forcefully, "Excuse me? Grace Humiston? Is she here?"

The police officer sighed and looked up at Lucy in exasperation, "I don't know. She uses the visitor's room down the hall sometimes."

Lucy nodded her head eagerly and motioned for Flynn to follow her, "Who is Grace Humiston?" he asked as they made their way through the crowded police station.

"She was a brilliant lawyer and investigator the NYPD would use to help them solve crimes they couldn't crack or set aside…missing women mostly." Lucy explained. "I imagine she would have been a police officer if it hadn't been 1919. You know they actually called her Mrs. Sherlock Holmes?"

A feeling of anxious excitement filled Lucy as she approached the make shift office of a woman she had only read about. Flynn smirked at her as she took a steadying breath and entered the small, but comfortable room, standing a bit in awe of the plain looking woman standing over a table. "Mrs Humiston?" she breathed out in veneration.

"I don't take romantic disputes. If you want my advice, you have better things to do than to waste your time on a married man." Grace Humiston said abruptly before turning back to her work.

Lucy startled back in confusion and…if she were being quite honest, irritation since her being involved with Flynn seemed to be a running gag on this mission. "Wh…we're not…no…why would you think that?" she stammered out.

Grace Humiston sighed as she looked at the two of them doubtfully, "He's wearing a wedding ring, you are not. She's trying to keep her distance from you, but you keep moving closer." She smirked at Lucy as she added, "I'm betting he didn't tell you about the wife, but that one's just a guess."

Flynn gaped at her slightly, "Actually, my wife is dead."

Grace Humiston, however, paid him no heed. Instead, she continued to address Lucy, "Your keen intellect I deduced from the fact that you came here looking for me. You must read the papers."

"I do." Lucy said proudly. "And that's why I'm here…"

Almost immediately after leaving Lucy in the lobby with Garcia Flynn, Wyatt regretted it. He had just stepped into the elevator with Rufus when he was hit with a surge of guilt that had him impatiently bobbing up and down on his heels until the bellhop opened the caged doors to the next floor and he made a desperate break for it, leaving a confused Rufus trailing behind him, "Um…Wyatt?" Rufus asked as he jogged to keep up with him, "This isn't our floor."

"I realize that Rufus." Wyatt muttered as he raced towards the staircase, "I need to go find Lucy."

Rufus let out a small chuckle, "You think she really wants to talk to you? No offense man, but you were kind of an ass. Besides, I'm sure she and Flynn are halfway to the police station by now."

Wyatt, however, wasn't in the mood to entertain the possibility of Lucy…Lucy, who had a target on her back, running around New York City with only Flynn for protection when a Rittenhouse sleeper was on the loose. He raced down the stairs, leaving Rufus once again, huffing after him. When he finally re-emerged in the lobby he found, much to his panic and disappointment, that Lucy was gone.

Wyatt felt as if the floor had dropped out from beneath him and he was falling into an endless abyss of guilt and regret.

It was happening again.

When they had run into that asshole at the Pelican Lounge that night, Wyatt had let his pride get the better of him, just as he had done this morning with Garcia Flynn. The fight in the bar was nothing to the fight in the car ride on the way home….and Jessica had had enough. Demanding to be let out of the car, Wyatt pulled over to oblige her, thinking her insistence to be let out of the car was just a bluff. Their fight continued on the side of that damn road until, Wyatt, frustrated and angry, drove off and left Jessica alone, to fend for herself…

He had lived for six damn years with the guilt and regret of that night…and here, even though he knew that Lucy was a target, he let her go…

"She's gone." Wyatt breathed out helplessly.

"I told you." Rufus gasped out behind him, "Lucy is not one to waste any time on these missions." Wyatt was ready to race out of the hotel and track the two of them down, but Rufus, seeing the determination and fear in Wyatt's face reasoned with him, "Look, Wyatt…I know it's Flynn…but what would he gain by letting something happen to her? She's the only one of us who is actually somewhat nice to the guy."

"I hope you're right, Rufus." Wyatt gritted out through clenched teeth, remembering all too well the outcome from the last time Flynn had been tasked with Lucy's safety.

Rufus, seeming to understand Wyatt's hesitancy, continued, "This isn't like the last time."

Wyatt stared back at Rufus, unsure of whether he meant Jessica or Lucy until he added, "They're going to a damn police station, Wyatt. Rittenhouse would be crazy to touch her when she's surrounded by cops."

"What if the sleeper is a cop?" Wyatt spat out. "Just like that sleeper in '34 was a damn teacher?"

Rufus, seeing the fault in his argument, conceded, "Okay, say you're right and the sleeper is a cop…you think that they're going to make a move against Lucy inside the actual police station?" Rufus shook his head, "They may be bold…but I can't believe they'd be that bold."

"Believe it." a familiar voice rang out causing both Wyatt and Rufus to spin around in alarm. The sight of Emma Whitmore leaning casually against a column had Wyatt reaching for his gun, but Emma threw up her hands in mock surrender, "I'm not here to fight." She chuckled, "If I was, you'd already be dead."

"What the hell do you want?" Wyatt spat out his hand still resting on the grip of his still holstered weapon.

"Would you believe me if I told you I was here to help you?" Emma asked as she took a step away from the column.

"No." Wyatt and Rufus said in unison.

Again, Emma chuckled. "Can't say that I blame you…but I'm serious…this mission only, I actually want to stop Rittenhouse."

"And what makes you think we're stupid enough to believe you?" Wyatt asked, still not moving his hand away from his holster.

Emma looked at him thoughtfully, "I thought you'd be with the Princess? Hope you two didn't have a fight. That would be extremely unfortunate."

"And what the hell do you mean by that?" Wyatt gritted out, panic slightly rising in his chest.

"Nothing." Emma said with a slight frown, "but if you want to make sure she survives this mission, you'd better take me up on my offer to help you." Wyatt and Rufus exchanged dark looks as Emma stood apart from them, smiling smugly. "Going once…twice…"

She turned on her heel and began to walk away as Wyatt's voice called her back, "Wait…

Emma turned back around, a victorious grin plastered across her face, "I thought that might make you see reason." she observed silkily, "Follow me, boys…it's time we had a little chat."

Emma brushed past them and began making her way down a back corridor with Rufus and Wyatt following her tentatively. Rufus looked around nervously before whispering harshly to Wyatt, "You do realize you just teamed us up with Emma?"

"If she's offering information up about this sleeper, then I'm going to hear what she has to say." Wyatt argued, "Especially if it means saving Lucy."

"Yeah…but why would she want to help Lucy? Didn't she just try to kill her?" Rufus countered. "Why the 180? Something isn't right here…"

Wyatt agreed. Something wasn't right. There mere fact that Emma Whitmore came to them in the middle of a mission…after their apparent target was disposed of, to claim that she wanted to help them stop Rittenhouse? That could only mean one thing…

"Senator Wadsworth wasn't your target, was he?" Wyatt asked as they entered an empty store room.

"Very good, Master Sergeant." Emma praised, "you worked that one out all by yourself." Wyatt rolled his eyes at Emma's insinuation, "maybe you don't need your historian, after all."

"What the hell is this about?" Wyatt gritted out. "You told us you wanted to help, but why do I get the feeling you're just stalling us? Who's the real target?"

Emma sighed as she took a seat next to a grime covered window, "Nicholas wants to squash the 19thAmendment…I think it's pretty obvious why I would disagree with him on that particular change to the timeline."

"After all the crap you've pulled, all the people you've murdered…that's where you draw the line?" Rufus asked incredulously, "Constitutional law?"

Emma laughed, "Look at us…joking like old times, Rufus."

"Yeah, I'm getting some crazy nostalgic vibes." he muttered back sardonically.

"And where does Lucy fit into all of this?" Wyatt asked irritably. "What's this sleeper going to do? Wadsworth is out of the way, Alice Paul is in jail…what, is she walking into a trap? And why the hell would you care?"

"I told you." Emma said simply, "I need her to make sure that speech is given today." Emma stood up and brushed off her skirts, "Lucy should be discovering right about now that Alice Paul is dead."

"But wait," Rufus exclaimed, "if Alice Paul is already dead, then you've already screwed with history…the 19thamendment is finished."

"Not necessarily." Emma countered with a small shake of her head, "Lucy may be annoying as hell, but one thing I have to admire her for, is her tenacity. I'm willing to bet good money that Lucy…"

"Lucy will make sure the speech is made…even if she has to do it herself." Wyatt mumbled, almost to himself. "So, that's what this was about? Lucy gives the speech and then you kill her?" Wyatt asked as he narrowed his eyes.

"That's why I'm here, to help you to make sure that doesn't happen." Emma shook her head. "Do you honestly think the sleeper, who has been preparing for this mission for years would allow that speech to even take place?" Emma chuckled as she made her way to the door, "Lucy would be dead before she even made it to the front of the march." At Wyatt's confused and panicked face, she nodded seriously, "The sleeper is a suffragette."

Wyatt and Rufus exchanged looks, before Wyatt called out to Emma who was retreating back out into the hall, "Hey, where the hell are you going? Aren't you going to tell us which one it is?"

Emma tilted her head at them sadly, "And take away the fun? The march begins in ten minutes, the suffragette office is just right around the corner. I trust you boys will take care of things…besides, I have a pit stop to make on the way back home and believe me when I say...you don't want me to be late. She nodded meaningfully at Wyatt as she continued with a wink, "You can thank me later."

Wyatt watched her disappear into the hall in a state of confusion. Emma Whitmore had just helpedthem. She could have just taken out the sleeper on her own, instead, she tipped them off. Why? Surely it wasn't just so Lucy could give this speech…that made absolutely no sense, considering she could have easily sprung Alice Paul from jail, taken out the sleeper and had history remain intact.

No, instead, she had sought them out, killed Senator Wadsworth and Alice Paul, revealed Rittenhouse's plan, and had done it all…seemingly, to protect Lucy. It didn't make sense at all.

Wyatt, more desperate than ever before to find Lucy, stumbled into the hall after Emma, but she had already disappeared amid the throngs of hotel workers buzzing in and out of the different offices and pantries that lined the corridor. Turning to Rufus, Wyatt gulped, "We need to get to Lucy, before that damn sleeper does."

Alice Paul is dead.

Though it was Lucy who made the grave announcement to the room full of anxious suffragette's, she felt, as she watched their faces drop and heard their horrified gasps that she was living in a waking nightmare. How could Alice Paul be dead? How could her mother allow one of the most influential women in history to die? How could she risk losing something as important as the 19thAmendment?

She felt numb.

Apart from the death of a woman whom she had always admired and revered, Lucy was struggling with the disillusionment that came from meeting Grace Humiston. To Lucy's astonishment, Grace was not a fan of the suffragette movement and made it a point, in the afternoon she had spent with her, to reiterate in not so many terms why she believed the push for suffrage was wrong.

Yet now, ironically, she was calling for a vote…a vote to see whether the march that was so necessary for the 19thAmendment, should actually go forth. To Lucy's growing dread, the motion for the march to continue was struck down, replaced instead, by a silent vigil.

"No…this speech has to happen today. The President is leaving the country tomorrow…" Lucy argued as Flynn stood off to the side watching the scene solemnly.

"What difference does it make when the speech is given?" Grace Humiston asked huffily. "I see no reason why today is so important. So, the President is leaving the country…he'll be back soon enough. One day isn't going to make much difference."

Lucy rolled her eyes, "If you think that Alice can be reduced to one day and one speech, then you really have no idea what this is all about, do you? You think because you are smart enough or tough enough to make it in the boys' club that everybody else should be able to do that too, is that it?"

"Something like that." Grace Humiston said with a satisfied nod.

"So, you're under no obligation to help women?" Lucy asked angrily.

"I help women." Grace countered defensively. "I find the missing. I catch their murderers, I put them away. That's how I help women."

"Dead women, you mean?" Lucy snapped back. "You help dead women. What about everybody else?"

"Everyone else isn't my problem" Grace said simply.

Lucy stared back at her disbelieving. She had naively believed that Grace would understand, that she would, as a woman who had been cast aside time and time again, see what was at stake for the rest of womankind…but, no. Grace Humiston, the woman Lucy had admired for years, the woman whom she was sure would be someone she could count on, turned out to be nothing more than a massive disappointment.

"Lucy!" Wyatt breathed out as he rushed into the building, scanning the room for any immediate danger, "there you are, Thank God."

Grace raised her eyebrows in interest as Wyatt approached Lucy, his hand gently reaching out for her, beckoning her to follow him. "Ah…I see I was wrong. Doesn't happen often, but I'm more than willing to admit my mistake." She nodded pleasantly at Wyatt, "And a soldier, to boot."

Wyatt gaped at her, "Huh? How do y…Lucy, who is this?"

"Grace Humiston…also known as Mrs. Sherlock Holmes." Lucy answered tersely as Rufus entered the building, fanning his hat in front of his face in an attempt to catch his breath.

Still clearly confused, Wyatt was just about to ask for clarification, when Grace explained, "You carry yourself as a soldier, always checking behind you and alert to any danger. You also are carrying a concealed weapon…not usual for your average citizen…and you are definitely not a cop."

"Uh-huh." Wyatt said with an awkward nod, "And what exactly were you wrong about?"

Grace opened her mouth to clarify, when Lucy interrupted her with a wary look towards Flynn, "It's nothing." The last thing she needed was for Wyatt to hear that yet another person supposed that she and Flynn were a couple. "What are you doing here, Wyatt?" Lucy asked in slight irritation.

"I came here to get you." Wyatt whispered harshly as he gently tugged on her elbow, "It's not safe…I can't explain now, " he muttered as he shot a suspicious glance throughout the room, "but I promise I'll explain everything when we get back."

"I can't leave." Lucy argued as she wrenched her arm out of Wyatt's grasp. "Not yet…Alice Paul may be dead, but that doesn't mean we can't honor her memory by making sure her speech is heard by President Wilson."

"Speeches and marches don't change the world. Never have, never will. Alice's problem was that she gave too many speeches." Grace said simply. "She did nothing but create hysteria. I don't know about you, but I'd rather earn my respect than grovel for it."

"You think that Alice wanted to be beaten by the police, sent to prison…force fed?" Lucy exclaimed indignantly.

"I didn't say that…"Grace began.

Lucy fought back the tears as she pulled her arm out of Wyatt's grasp once more before she continued, "She would have spent the next 50 years living the same Hell over and over again so women like you could ride on her coattails. Every day that you get to do your job, another woman out there is making sacrifices so that you can keep doing it."

"Lucy…this is not your fight." Wyatt pleaded as he cast his eyes about the room, growing ever more anxious. "I need to get you out of here, now."

Still, Lucy didn't pay any attention to him. She was breathing heavily and staring at the woman in front of her, a near stranger to Wyatt, looking very much like she had done in 1918 outside of the mothership, when she pleaded with her mother to be on the "right side of history."

"I don't understand." Grace said with a laugh, "If the speech is so important, why don't you give it?"

Lucy shook her head in disbelief and disappointment, clearly angry that her efforts were going unheeded by the women standing before her. "Fine." She spat out. "If you're not going to help Grace, then just get the hell out of my way."

"No! Lucy…you can't do this." Wyatt shouted after her as she brushed past him to the door.

"Watch me" Lucy scoffed as she pulled open the door and stepped outside onto the busy New York sidewalk.

Wyatt stood there, almost helpless as he watched her go, hardly noticing Flynn or Rufus as they gathered around him, waiting for their next move.

"What's the problem?" Flynn whispered more to Rufus than to Wyatt, "If the speech needs to be made today, then why not let Lucy give it?"

"Why the hell do you think, Flynn?" Wyatt gritted out as he wrenched open the door and ran down the street after her.

Panic almost overtook him as he emerged out onto the sidewalk and saw no sign of her. Racing around the corner, he breathed out a sigh of relief as he saw her walking determinedly up the street, back towards the hotel, where President Wilson was set to arrive at any time.

"Lucy!" he called out desperately as he raced after her. If Lucy heard him, she gave no indication…if anything, she picked up her pace, causing Wyatt to lengthen his stride in an effort to reach her before it was too late.

"Lucy, listen to me." Wyatt demanded as he caught up with her, "Rittenhouse wants to stop that speech. They're going to kill whoever goes up there to give it."

"Would it be better if it were someone else?" Lucy asked, not even stopping to look at him. "This speech has to happen, Wyatt…and Alice Paul is dead. You heard them in there, no one will take her place. It has to be me."

"The hell it does." Wyatt gritted out as he grasped her arm and turned her to face him. "They need a leader, Lucy. But they need a leader here…not someone who's gonna jump in a time machine."

"Someone has to do something now." Lucy explained passionately. "This is too important."

"And so are you." Wyatt gritted out through tears that were now forming in his eyes. "Please, Lucy…I don't want to see you get hurt."

Lucy stared back at him, her own eyes flashing with tears of indignation as the full tumult of emotions she had been feeling that week hit her with a force that nearly caused her knees to give way. Swaying slightly on the spot, she took a moment to compose herself before she let out a derisive laugh, "It's a bit late for that."

Wyatt flinched as if burned, "What's that supposed to mean? Lucy, I…"

Lucy clenched her eyes shut, "You wouldn't let me explain, Wyatt…you automatically jumped to the conclusion that…." she scoffed, "I'll admit, I made a mistake going to Flynn's room last night, but nothing happened. I asked him about the journal, that's all….and you…you...just assumed the worst. How could you do that?"

"I was an ass…I know, Lucy and I'm sorry." Wyatt said solemnly, "I don't give a damn about Rittenhouse or Flynn…hell, you could have slept with him and it wouldn't change the way I feel about you…I only want you to be safe and happy. If that means late night chats with Garcia Flynn, then so be it."

Lucy shook her head at him sadly, "I didn't…I didn't mean to shut you out, Wyatt. Talking with Flynn….it didn't…"

"Lucy, it doesn't matter." Wyatt said with a sigh. "I know I made a big deal about it this morning, but none of this shit matters." He shook his dead ruefully, "All that matters is that you're safe…you have a target on your back, Lucy. I can't just stand by…"

"You can't protect me from everything, Wyatt. Rittenhouse, my mother…any of it." Lucy muttered back despondently. "This is the only way for me to fight against them…to do exactly what they don't want me to do…to keep history intact. If that means I die trying, then so be it."

The recklessness Wyatt saw earlier that day was back full force, staring him in the face…and there was nothing he could do. If he lost Lucy…

"No, Lucy…you are not the soldier here, I am." Wyatt gritted out determinedly.

"Wyatt," Lucy breathed out in exasperation, "we all take the same risks every time we step in that time machine." Wyatt shook his head at her, but Lucy remonstrated gently, "You can't fight all the battles. It's not fair to you."

"I don't give a damn about what's fair, Lucy." Wyatt maintained. "I can't lose you…

Lucy's eyes darted to his as she smiled at him sadly, "I don't want to lose you either, Wyatt…but I have to do this. I can't let them win…not this time. I…I couldn't live with myself."

She turned once more, but Wyatt, more anxious than ever pulled her back to him, his hands gripping her arms like his life depended on it, "Lucy, you give that speech and they're going to kill you…you may not care about that, but I sure the hell do." He cupped her face in his right hand and caressed her cheek with his thumb, his blue eyes searching out her brown ones with an intensity that took Lucy's breath away. He was near frantic as he desperately tried to communicate to her just how very much she meant to him. "I love you, Lucy Preston" he admitted in a voice trembling with emotion, "I love you…and I'll be damned if I'm gonna stand by and see you get hurt."

Lucy gasped at his utterance, her knees quaking at the sheer force of Wyatt's words. "Wyatt…" she began but he silenced her protest with a desperate kiss, his right hand cupping her face while his left arm snaked around her waist to pull her closer to him. Somewhere in the back of his head he knew that this type of display probably wasn't permissible in the era they were currently in, but he couldn't bring himself to give a damn. If this is what it took to keep Lucy from being the reckless hothead he had once been, he would risk the wrath of public opinion.

Lucy pulled away from him, breathless and panting slightly as he still had her wrapped up in an tight embrace, his eyes searching hers, as if trying to see whether he had broken through the wall she had put up between them. "Please, Lucy" he begged, "just stay with me."

Lucy's heart ached at the desperation is Wyatt's voice. He had already lost one woman he loved and she knew his fears about losing her were rooted in his past trauma. Caressing his face, Lucy offered him a gentle kiss on the lips before whispering her own admission, "I love you, Wyatt." She nodded as silent tears rans down her face, "And that's why I know that you'll make sure nothing happens to me." Wyatt looked to argue with her, his face wrenched in agony, but Lucy continued on, "I trust you. I always have and I always will.

"Lucy…" he pleaded, but he knew it was no use. Agent Christopher was right…he was compromised emotionally where Lucy was concerned. He would willingly sacrifice the mission to keep her safe, but Lucy…as usual, was right. Sacrificing the mission…this mission…would have dire consequences for their present, a victory of epic proportions for Rittenhouse and that could not happen. As much as he hated it, he was going to have to trust in his training and stand on the sidelines so that Lucy could do the job they were tasked to do. She was going to have to draw out the sleeper agent.

Rufus and Flynn turned the corner and Lucy dropped her hands from Wyatt's face, stepping back away from him slightly as the rest of their team approached. The suffragettes were making their way down the street now, towards a large grouping of policeman right outside the Plaza hotel. Lucy nodded at a deeply conflicted Wyatt, and turned to go before he called out to her, "Lucy, the sleeper agent is a suffragette…she could be any one of them. We'll keep an eye on you. Just…be careful."

Lucy nodded once more and joined the other women in the march, while Wyatt, after directing Flynn and Rufus to take varying positions on different sides of the street, followed along the parade route, his eyes never straying from Lucy and the women surrounding her.

On the suffragettes moved until they approached the line of policeman and were stopped in their tracks. The crowd of women, who had been silent until that point, were roughly pushed back causing a tumultuous scene. Wyatt breathed out a curse as he stepped off the curb and into the crowd as the arrival of President Wilson's car caused an even greater push back from the police force. The women, determined to make a statement, surged forward, yelling in an attempt to catch Wilson's attention and in that one collective effort, Wyatt lost sight of Lucy.

Dread filled him as he fought his way through the crowd, shouting her name when the sound of a gunshot nearly brought him to his knees. "LUCY!" he yelled over the din of screams, but as the crowd ducked and cleared a bit, he saw her trying to scramble on top of a make shift platform in an effort to catch President Wilson's attention. Wyatt scanned the scene for any sign of the shooter and gave a breath of relief when he saw a policeman with his gun drawn and pointed in the air, obviously firing it in an attempt to disperse the marchers.

Not taking any chances, however, Wyatt desperately fought his way towards Lucy, ready to throw himself in front of the sleeper agent's gun in an attempt to keep her safe. That effort, however, turned out to be wholly unnecessary, for as he neared the small platform, he saw to his horror that Lucy had been wrenched down off the platform and was now being led away by a woman who had a gun jabbed into her ribs.

Shit.

Not daring to call out to her for fear the sleeper would murder her right then and there, Wyatt stalked behind them, gun drawn as he followed them into an alley where he heard the sleeper taunting Lucy snidely, "Any last words you'd like me to pass along to your mother?"

With a mixture of pride and unease, Wyatt noted that Lucy wasn't cowering in the face of certain death. Instead, she looked defiantly back at the woman who was now holding her at gunpoint and spat out, "Tell her she can go to hell."

Wyatt raised his own gun, taking careful aim as he called out, "That makes two of us."

Surprised by the sound of Wyatt's voice, the sleeper turned abruptly to face him, only to fall victim to his deadly aim. "You okay?" Wyatt asked as he holstered his gun. Lucy nodded as he wrapped her up in an embrace . "C'mon…let's get out of here."

Running out of the alley, Lucy scanned the crowd in horror, seeing marchers being beaten back by the police force and shoved back into the fray by standers-by on the sidewalk. "Oh my God." Lucy breathed out, "This is worse than I ever imagined it." Casting a nervous glance towards Wyatt, she pleaded, "I still have to do this, Wyatt."

Wyatt nodded solemnly, "Let's do it then." Gripping her hand, he led her through the crowd, shoving his way through, pulling her after him until they reached the same small precipice Lucy had attempted to climb once before. Fights had broken out by this time the push back from the police force was far more intense as President Wilson emerged on the stairs.

Lucy desperately sought to reach the top, screaming out, "Mr. President! Mr. President!" but to no avail. He could not hear her over the screams from the crowd.

Suddenly, however, a voice she recognized rang out above the din, "The time has come to allow women, all women, to have the voice they so greatly deserve!" Lucy turned in shock to see Grace Humiston standing on a platform, addressing the crowd loudly, "How long can men expect to see their sisters, their mothers, their wives and their daughters to expect to accept less than what justice demands? Women's suffrage is inevitable! The time is now!"

"She did it!" Lucy gasped out in disbelief through a flood of tears. "She did it."

"I think you did it." Wyatt corrected, his face beaming with pride. Wrapping his arm around her waist, he held her close as he navigated them through the crowd to where he could see a bloodied Flynn and Rufus standing on the sidewalk. "What the hell happened to you two?" Wyatt asked as he approached.

"Cops." Rufus said simply, "Can we just get out of here?" Rufus gritted out as he nursed his arm, "I am in a ridiculous amount of pain right now."

With his arm still draped around Lucy's waist, Wyatt led the way back to the LifeBoat, taking care to help her up into the time machine before assisting an injured Rufus. They had all settled into their respective seats, buckling themselves in when Lucy paused suddenly and asked, "How did you know the sleeper was a suffragette?"

"Oh, didn't Wyatt tell you?" Rufus quipped as he readied the LifeBoat for launch, "Emma told us."

Lucy sat back in surprise, "Emma? You ran into Emma?"

"Yeah." Wyatt muttered, "Believe it or not she told us she wanted to help us on this mission. Didn't agree with Rittenhouse's plans to stop the 19thAmendment."

Lucy raised her eyebrows, "Well, I guess it's comforting to know even she has her limits."

"That's what I said." Rufus stated. "Still, it was weird, right?" he asked Wyatt. "I mean, why go through the trouble of killing Alice Paul and that Wadsworth guy? Why not just take out the sleeper and be done with it?"

"Maybe she wanted to kill me herself." Lucy suggested with a shrug. "I'm actually surprised she didn't."

"No…she left." Rufus said unconcernedly, "She said she had a pit stop to make on the way back home…"

Lucy's hands faltered on her safety harness as she looked up in concern, "What kind of pit stop?"

"She didn't say." Rufus shrugged. "But…according to the nav computer, she made a jump to San Diego, 1980 for like an hour."

Wyatt scoffed, "I guess that means we're not going to have much time to relax after we get back. Gotta hand it to her, jumping while we're already in the past…sly move. But what the hell could she do in an hour?"

"Maybe she wanted to play the original Pac-Man in a honest to goodness arcade." Rufus suggested, "That's what I would do."

Lucy's eyes darted to Flynn's in concern and confusion and Wyatt took notice, "You okay?" he asked tentatively. "You look a little pale."

Lucy nodded, shaking her fears away. It was just a scare tactic…what could 1980 San Diego possibly have to do with that? No…everything was fine. They couldn't bring her back by jumping 32 years before her murder.

Could they?

When the LifeBoat landed in the present, Lucy did her best to undo her harness though her hands were shaking violently. Wyatt, observing her, rested his own on hers, "Hey…I know it was a close call today…and I know I was an ass about it this morning…but you did good, Lucy." He kissed her hand and helped her with the rest of her safety straps, offering her his hand as he helped her out of her seat.

As they descended the stairs together, Wyatt pressed a kiss to Lucy's temple, his arm draped over her waist once again as he pulled her close to him. Agent Christopher watched them as they descended the stairs and observed, "I see you two decided to make things official?"

Wyatt chuckled, "Because they weren't official before? Look, I know I was upset this morning…"

Agent Christopher narrowed his eyes at him, "Upset? That's a bit of an understatement wouldn't you say?" She let out a derisive laugh as she closed the manila folder she had in her hands, "Wyatt, I don't think I've ever seen you looking so hurt…though, I think we were all a little shocked by the duplicity. I'm not usually one to promote infidelity, but in this case, I'd say you've made the right decision. Just make sure you do the right thing, Wyatt. Ms. Preston doesn't deserve to be someone's bit on the side."

Lucy blanched as Wyatt looked back at Agent Christopher is confusion, "What the hell are you talking about? Nothing happened between Lucy and Flynn…right, Lucy?" he asked, looking to her for confirmation.

Lucy nodded slowly, but swallowed hard hoping against all hope that her suppositions were completely wrong. Agent Christopher, however, dashed those hopes to pieces as she crossed her arms over her chest and countered, "Lucy and Flynn? What are you even talking about Wyatt? I'm talking about you…"

"Me?" Wyatt asked defensively, 'What…?"

"Oh my God." Lucy sobbed as she raced towards their bedroom. She couldn't stand to hear it. She couldn't bear to see his face when the truth of what Emma had done came to light. Instead she wrenched open their bedroom door seeing, with a gasp of horror, the horrible truth of their new situation.

"Lucy?" Wyatt's voice was calling her from the hall, but she was hardly aware of it. Unable to move, she stared at the two cots shoved on separate sides of the room. One side immaculately tidy; the other, littered with comic books, hoodies, and empty chocodile boxes. She vaguely heard the door open behind her as Wyatt breathed out in confusion and alarm, "What the hell? Lucy, what's happening? What is all this?"

Tears streamed down Lucy's face as she turned to face him. Unable to meet his eye, she hung her head in agony as she sobbed out, "Plan B."

Notes:

I know what you're going to say..."Gretchen, this is the timeline WITHOUT JESSICA." Yes...it is...she's not in the bunker! I HAD To bring her back...and when this whole thing is over, you'l understand WHY. Believe me...I traveled down this rabbit hole before I began this fic and there was just no way around it that would make sense...and again, you'll understand WHY when this is all over...maybe some of you will already realize the why.

But let's focus on the POSITIVE. Wyatt told Lucy he loved her...that's a BIG BIG DIFFERENCE. Wyatt also has realized on his own that he idealized his marriage, that things between him and Jessica weren't all sunshine and rainbows. THAT'S IMPORTANT TOO. So take calming breaths...it's going to be okay...and I PROMISE YOU this will fit in canonically. I promise you I have explored this THOROUGHLY. It's going to work out and everything we see in Miracle of Christmas will fit in here.

The biggest issue I had was the WHEN because I needed both of the their memories to stay in tact. I ultimately chose to do it here because it BOTHERS me so much that Wyatt, Rufus and Flynn are all supposed to be watching Lucy and yet, she gets taken off into an alley and almost killed, and they are none the wiser. What the hell? So I changed it here and yes, I stole a bit of Grace's thunder, but that was more for flow than anything. So I had Emma just tip them off and go on her merry way, taunting Wyatt with a "You can thank me later" while he goes to save Lucy.

I also realize that I split them up differently. I WASN'T originally going to do that, but I just felt like it needed more of a change than what we saw in the episode...and using the whole "Lucy is Flynn's wife" bit from canon sort of spurred me to make that decision, especially considering that the whole thing was a sore point for Wyatt in this fic even more so than it was in the actual show. I also thought it helped flow better, getting Wyatt's POV and Lucy's POV before having them converge.

I know this was a long chapter, but I did not want to split this one. I'm a little nervous about getting yelled at, so please be kind if you choose to review...but I hope that I have eased any fears you may have.

Thanks so much for reading.