Disclaimer: I own nothing. All belongs to Timeless and ABC.

The Great Harry Houdini

Flynn-

Flynn and Lucy were sitting in some very uncomfortable wooden chairs in the second to last row in one of the numerous small "show" tents of the fair. Carl was behind them, providing 'security'. He felt it was unnecessary, however, seriously doubting that Lucy would try to make a run for it now. The lives of her friends, and possibly hers, were depending upon her helping him. He knew she wouldn't risk their lives to save her own. Besides, if she ran from him and was too late to save them, she would be stuck, having no choice but to live out the rest of her life in the past.

A woman on her own, even one as brilliant and strong as Lucy Preston, would be at a great disadvantage in this era. It would still be another twenty-seven years before women won the right to vote. It would not be until sometime in the 1960s when women were able to open a bank account without the approval of a father, brother, or husband. And the probability of a husband for Lucy at this point in her life was greatly diminished. Already in her thirties, she was well past the marriageable age. Flynn scoffed at that mentality. Even almost at the turn of the century, men were still disillusioned that women were the weaker sex. Some men still think that way, he thought, knowing Lucy would give most men who thought they were superior a run for their money. And she would win more often than not.

They didn't wait long before a man confidently walked out onto the stage to much applause and a drum roll.

"Ladies and gentlemen! I am the great Harry Houdini! Welcome." The man announced in a slightly showy manner. There was more applause.

Flynn was very impressed. He sat there and tried not to look it, feeling it might inadvertently give Lucy more ideas, ideas unhelpful to him, if he let her know just how impressed he was. She really was a genius. He needed her to think he was skeptical of her judgment, which couldn't be further from the truth.

Lucy noticed because she leaned over to Flynn and said, "He may not be famous yet, but there's still no one better at getting into or out of tight spots." It would be ironic how true that statement was, he would think later. Flynn didn't respond because Houdini spoke again to the small crowd in the tent.

"For this act, I will need a volunteer."

Lucy immediately raised her hand. Her excited smile when she was waved forward by Houdini was like the sun. Her enthusiasm to meet and be a part of history with someone as great as Harry Houdini made Flynn want to smile. Regardless of the situation she found herself in, despite the fact that her life and those of Logan and Rufus, were hinging on their success of murdering three, possibly more, people today, she was still enthusiastic to meet such a historical figure.

Flynn didn't let it show, though, for the same reason he didn't want it known he was impressed by her idea of using Houdini to get into the room where the meeting would take place. It pierced his dark heart when she looked at him and her smile disappeared. He wasn't sure if he was proud or loathed his ability to lie so well when it came to Lucy. She quickly squashed her excitement, then hurried towards the stage. He shifted awkwardly in his seat, looking behind him to Carl, a little nervous on whether it was a good idea to allow her so far away from them. Carl looked to have the same thought. Maybe I should send him around to the backstage entrance of the tent, make sure she doesn't try to escape, he thought. But Flynn dismissed it as soon as it came to him, still banking on the fact Lucy wouldn't take that gamble with the lives of her friends.

She's too decent of a person to do that, Flynn thought, absolutely cognizant that Lucy was so purely good and he couldn't hate himself more than he did at that moment for what he was doing to her.

Flynn pushed that aside. There was nothing he could do but continue his agenda. And right now that involved Lucy, and now Harry Houdini. He really had to hand it to Lucy this time. Her ingenuity would always astound him. He had to admit it never would've crossed his mind to ask, threaten more like, the 'escape artist' to aid him in murdering people. He would have to use Lucy's life as leverage for Houdini to do what he wanted him to. Fortunately for Flynn, Houdini was also of the decent sort, and would be unwilling to risk the life of someone, even if he'd just met that someone.

Harry Houdini was the perfect man to help them, Flynn thought as he watched Lucy step up onto the stage. She was correct, there was no one more suited to circumvent the security measures on the room Edison had, no doubt, designed to be impenetrable. The genius of Houdini and Edison's arrogance would guarantee his entry into the room. And then he could plant the bomb, therefore succeeding, and they could go home. Or to the warehouse that served as a substitute for a home. It was truly a depressing place, but it suited their needs perfectly. There really was no consideration for all of the normal comforts an actual home provided, not while this madness continued, at least.

Maybe after, then...Flynn let the thought trail off, not wanting to go there. Not yet. Any hope at this stage would be false hope and he just couldn't take that kind of disappointment at this point in time. It would be too cruel. He decided to sit back, relax the tiniest bit, and just enjoy the show. It was actually fun to see Houdini in person, a rare opportunity, as Houdini had died decades before any of them were born. The only thing that made it better was the apparent joy of Lucy as she participated in the show. He didn't even let Carl's nervous behavior dampen his mood. Carl had moved from his seat to the side of the tent after Lucy had stepped onto the stage, as if anticipating she would run.

"You say your name is Lucy?" Houdini asked.

Lucy cleared her throat. Flynn could see her nerves. "Lucy. That's right," she said.

"Now, Lucy, have we ever met before?"

"No. We have never met before," Lucy answered.

"How sad for me." Houdini said, looking to the crowd, who, of course, laughed at his statement. Flynn couldn't help his smile. Yes, they'd never met before, but Flynn could tell that Lucy did know all about him. She didn't look at him as a partial observer of history would, there was something more there. He wondered what.

Houdini continued the show. He turned his back to the crowd and asked, "Lucy, will you please check my handcuffs and make sure they're tied securely behind my back?"

Lucy did so and said, "Yup, they're locked."

"Ladies and gentlemen, as this beautiful lady has just confirmed, my hands are tied securely behind my back." He stepped inside the trunk. "I will now step into this trunk. My brother Dash will then lock it shut. Trapped inside, it will be hard to move. Even harder," he paused for dramatic effect, "to breathe." He then knelt down and his brother shut the lid.

His brother picked up three deadbolt locks and said to Lucy, "Ma'am, if you will, please see that these are indeed locked." He proceeded to fasten each deadbolt.

Lucy checked each one and said, "Okay, they're locked."

Dash faced the crowd with the key held up for everyone to see before he nonchalantly tossed it to the side of the stage, where it clattered out of sight. Flynn had to hand it to the Houdini brothers. They really had a flair for showmanship. It was little wonder they both had such longstanding and incredibly popular careers.

Dash gestured to the curtain rod lying on the floor in front of them and said, "And the curtain please." They both picked up an end, stepped onto a chair, raising a deep maroon curtain with golden tassels, matching the cloths hanging around the stage, concealing them both and the trunk. A few moments later the curtain dropped and Houdini was standing atop the trunk with his arms thrown wide, a triumphant smile on his face. Lucy's face lit up with joy and even a gasp of No! burst forth from her mouth.

Houdini jumped down from the trunk and said, "Thank you, thank you. And please, tell your friends about the great Houdini." The audience continued its applause as he bowed to the them. He then turned and gestured towards Lucy, directing to the applause to his "assistant" for the act. He offered his hand to her to help her down from her place on the chair. Her surprise and happiness at his gentlemanly behavior was plain to see.

Houdini's act had not been long, only the one stunt, as he was not, as Lucy had said, famous yet. The excited surpriseshe showed when Houdini "escaped" from his handcuffs and locked trunk and popped up before the audience actually made Flynn smile, a real smile, for the first time since before breakfast. It was not smug or a smirk, but a genuine smile. He applauded along with the rest of the crowd, not bothering to school his face into an indifferent mask. He let it all wash over him, taking time to just be in the moment, something he hadn't done in years. It was a lovely change. There's that word again, he thought in wry amusement.

Flynn suddenly reminded himself why they were there, his face once again hardening. It was definitely not to only watch the show. He had a purpose and a goal, as despicable as it was, and he needed to get back to it. Now was not the time to forget that. Whatever it takes, he told himself, steel reinforcement in every word.

Lucy rejoined Flynn and Carl and he told Lucy what he wanted her to do to as the tent slowly emptied of the audience. She was to get Houdini alone and he would take it from there. Time for an encore, Harry, he thought, waiting for Lucy to bring the man to where he and Carl waited. Carl was holding his gun, ready to make the threat clear as soon as Houdini came to them. They didn't wait long.