Strawberry Dreams

Chapter Four

The typical whoosh of the Lifeboat returning filled the compound. The door to it opened and out came Lucy, Wyatt, Rufus, and Flynn. They were dressed in the rugged clothing of 1863.

It was almost by instinct that Jiya had her laptop bookmarked to the web pages of whatever event the team had come from. It was their litmus test of what they had changed in the past. Lucy didn't even have to ask as she approached Jiya. She rattled off history as it was now.

"The Combahee River Raid is now known as the Willow Glen Plantation Raid. There's mention of a Colonel Ryerson who was found out to be a Rebel spy and was murdered by an unknown assailant." She looked up at Wyatt, who joined Lucy in the briefing. Flynn was behind them. "I assume that was your doing."

Flynn said, "No, actually that was Harriet Tubman who took care of the sleeper agent. Tough woman."

Lucy pressed on. "So, the Civil War. The Union Army won? Again?"

Jiya nodded, "Yep. The names may have changed but the outcome was the same"

Rufus added, "And some slaves were freed as well." He paused and corrected, "Well, I guess all of the slaves were freed eventually. That's a good thing. I wasn't looking forward to coming back with a chain around my neck."

Agent Christopher joined them and smiled as she said, "You did it again. Well done. All of you."

Rufus spoke in an exaggerated Southern accent. "Well, ma'am, aye do declare it was the work of Colonel Sanders that saved us. I done heard that he went up to Kentucky to fry some chickens."

They laughed but Wyatt said, "Sorry, I didn't use that name. Didn't want to tarnish Colonel Sanders' legacy. Used a different name."

Rufus snapped, "Please don't say Major Payne."

Wyatt answered sheepishly, "No, I…I was Rhett Butler."

They all laughed. Lucy suggested, "On the bright side, maybe Margaret Mitchell found your name in the history books and used it."

In walked Amy Preston and Jessica Logan. Lucy spotted her sister and exclaimed, "Amy!" She went to hug her. "You're still here."

"Yes. Where else would I be?"

"Oh, I don't know. Oblivion?" She let go of her sister but kept her within reach.

"I hear it's nice there. Kinda quiet."

Jessica put her arms around Wyatt. "You guys went on another mission?"

Wyatt tried to sound modest and failed. "Yeah, we saved the Civil War."

"And that's a good thing? Can't you just go back and make sure it never happens at all?"

Lucy replied, "It's not that simple. Too many variables to change for that to happen. Plus, it may make some people not exist and create people who should have never existed."

Wyatt motioned to Lucy. "What she said." He eyed Lucy and she smiled back. Jessica noticed and she gave Lucy an awkward stare.

Lucy changed the subject. "I don't know about anyone else, but I'm ready to get out of these ten layers of nineteenth century clothing. Then I'm going to sleep. For a week."

Rufus said, "I'll see your week and raise you a month." He and Jiya walked off.

Agent Christopher told them, "Yes, go rest, all of you. You deserved it." She addressed Amy. "I have an anonymous transit to take you home this afternoon at 1500."

"1500? That's 3 o'clock, right?" The agent nodded. "Ooh, I'm getting good at this military speak."

Lucy asked, "You sure you want to leave all this adventure behind?"

Amy replied, "This is more adventure than I can take." She and Lucy went to their bunker.

When the team settled in their respective bunkers, Wyatt and Jessica retired to their own. Their arms were around each other and they were deeply kissing.

In the midst of their action, Jessica uttered, "I will be so glad when we're out of this place."

"We will. Once we take down Rittenhouse." He backed away to face her and said, "Hey, something I've been thinking about. Maybe you should leave the bunker."

"What? Why?"

"It's not safe for you here. And it won't be safe while you're pregnant."

"I can handle it."

Wyatt kept it in the back of his mind the doubt surrounding the possibility that Jessica may have been saved by Rittenhouse. He remembered when she first mentioned that she was pregnant. His first thought was joy at being a father. He swore that he would be a better father than his own. He also remembered that her revelation came after he questioned about her brother, Kevin. Kevin wasn't alive in his timeline. He died at age three of leukemia. In Jessica's timeline where she survived, Kevin also survived. She claimed he was saved by a miracle stem cell cure. Wyatt knew that would be expensive. He also knew that Jessica's family were not well off. They struggled for money. Who else but Rittenhouse could approach them with that miracle cure—for a price?

Wyatt decided to use his interrogation techniques. The kind where the person being interrogated doesn't realize they were being interrogated. "Why do you want to stay? And don't say it's for me."

"Why not? I'd like to be with my husband while I'm having his child."

"Jessica, you know what we're doing here. It's dangerous. I know the risks. You do also, but the baby won't. Is that fair to him? Or her?"

"Why do you want me to leave? Is it Lucy? I see how you two are."

"Once, maybe. But you're here and alive now. Whatever me and Lucy wanted to start, it's over now. So there really is no reason for you to be here. Unless, there's another reason."

"What are you saying?"

"Are you sure you don't remember how Kevin was saved?"

"What? What's Kevin got to do with it?"

"A revolutionary cure that eliminates leukemia. Who paid for that, Jessica?"

Jessica stuttered her words. Her pupils dilated. She looked up at the ceiling. She was about to lie. "I don't know. I told you, I can't remember. I was nine."

"Uh huh. I'm just trying to see things clear. A sudden miracle dropped in your family's lap and paid for by some mysterious benefactor."

"Oh, my God. You think it's Rittenhouse. Why does everything have to be done by Rittenhouse? All of you."

"You don't know what they're capable of, Jessica. They have power over everything. They want to change history to their will. They want to control America."

"Do you even hear yourself think? Maybe they're not so bad."

"Why are you defending them?"

"I'm not. I just try to give people the benefit of the doubt."

"Excuse me if I don't give Karen Preston the benefit of the doubt."

Immediately, Jessica crinkled her brow and corrected, "You mean Carol Preston."

Wyatt backed further away from her. He let go of her waist. He shook his head and smiled. He was calm on the outside, but inside he was screaming. "How did you know her name was Carolyn, Jessica? I don't believe we disclosed that information to you."

"I..I must have overheard Lucy say it."

"Stop. Just stop. First off, if you know Lucy, then you would know she doesn't speak about her mother openly."

Jessica shot back, "And you know all about Lucy, don't you Wyatt?"

"And you know all about Rittenhouse." Jessica closed her eyes. She sat on the cot behind her. "I didn't want it to be true."

"It doesn't have to be, Wyatt. We can leave. We can get away from all of this. Leave it behind. We can live in luxury. We can give our child a great life."

Wyatt's voice was sarcastic. "All on Rittenhouse. No, thanks. You should know me better than that. I thought I knew you."

"You still do."

"No! I knew another Jessica. She died. You're a different Jessica. One who was paid for by Rittenhouse. Let me guess. The price for your brother's cure was you. You grew up with their family. They trained you, nurtured you, brought you up as one of their own. All to set up this moment. What was your plan here, Jessica?"

"Wyatt, I—"

"Answer the question!"

Jessica's voice hardened. "Do you really think I'm going to tell you? I'm sorry, Wyatt."

"What could you be sorry about?"

"I'm sorry it's come to this." Without warning, Jessica quickly swung her arm around. She had Wyatt's gun in her hand that she picked up off the bed behind her. She struck Wyatt with the handle of the gun hard. It knocked him out and down to the floor.

Some time later, the yelling woke him up. It was yelling coming from the main room. Wyatt slowly picked himself up and rubbed the side of his head. Realization came back to him. He was hit by his own gun. And Jessica held that gun. Jessica was Rittenhouse.

He couldn't think about that now. He darted into the main room to find the team, save for Flynn, confronting Jessica. She still held Wyatt's gun. It was now pointed at Jiya's head. She had Jiya in a one-armed choke hold. A military choke hold. Rittenhouse trained her well. She was walking backwards closer to the Lifeboat and dragging Jiya with her.

The team were shouting at her in turn.

Rufus warned, "Jessica, let her go! If you hurt one hair on that girl you're not coming back from that."

"Dream on, Loverboy!"

Connor Mason tried to reason with her. He said in his calming accent, "Jessica, you can't kill Jiya. You won't have a driver. You can't pilot the Lifeboat."

"Who said anything about kill? I can settle for a wounding. She can still pilot the ship with a wound. I mean, Rufus did it once, right?" She pulled on Jiya's hair, producing a cry of pain. "Right? Oh, by the way, I had her disable the tracking on the ship so you won't find us."

Wyatt edged closer to the scene. When Jessica spotted him, she cried, "Oh, look, the legendary husband woke up from his nap."

"What are you doing, Jessica?"

"What does it look like I'm doing? Me and Jiya are taking a little trip."

"Let me rephrase. What is Rittenhouse doing?"

"Rittenhouse!," Lucy gasped. "Jessica is Rittenhouse?"

"Yes," replied Agent Christopher.

Wyatt snapped to the Agent. "You knew?"

"We had our suspicions," Christopher said.

Connor explained, "We found a picture of her in a ruined device from that Rittenhouse base you infiltrated."

Christopher said, "We were going to tell you all, but Amy suddenly appeared."

Lucy snapped, "No! Don't put this on Amy. You should have told us as soon as you knew!"

Rufus quipped, "It's not like any of us have never kept secrets from the team before."

Wyatt's voice was cold at Agent Christopher. "You knew we had a threat living with us. Who I was sleeping with! And you said nothing. Now that threat is endangering Jiya and the Lifeboat. I only suspected. I found out my own way. You must have found that picture at least a week ago. My raid was last month."

Christopher said, "Like I said, we had our own suspicions. We couldn't act on them without facts."

"Facts?" cried Lucy. "We deal in facts every day. Sometimes we change those facts. We've never ignored threats to the team."

Rufus began, "Well, there was that one time in Watergate when we found out that you were—"

"Shut up, Rufus!" Lucy snapped.

Jessica spoke up. "Uh, guys. I still have Jiya here at gunpoint. You can sort out your trust issues later." Jessica was at the foot of the ladder to the Lifeboat. Jiya struggled in the hold on her. "Now, all of you back away. Or I can make Pilot #2 here have serious blood loss." She turned to look at Amy. "Or I could take out your precious sister."

"No!" Lucy shouted in tears. "Please, no. You don't know how long I've searched for her."

"Oh, yeah. Emma told me she made your sister disappear permanently in time. So much for that plan."

Amy stated, "Sorry if I messed up Rittenhouse's plans."

"Not messed up. Rearranged. My original orders were to kill you all and destroy the Lifeboat. Things change. Don't they, honey? I think taking your pilot in training and your ship is a bit more hurtful."

"Don't!" shouted Rufus as he reached further.

"Ah, ah, Loverboy! I said back up. Me and Jiya have places to be. And your team can be together again." Jessica considered. "Except for one." She pointed the gun at Amy and fired.

At the same time, Lucy shouted, "Amy!" and lunged toward her sister. She tackled her to the floor.

Coming out of the bunkers was Flynn. He immediately started firing at Jessica. She fired back while keeping a hold on Jiya and dodging Flynn's bullets. The rest of the team hid for cover. Lucy stayed with Amy, almost oblivious to the bullets flying. Jessica threw Jiya into the Lifeboat in between firing at Flynn. The door to the Lifeboat closed and Flynn's shots ricocheted off the metal. The rings began to spin and soon the Lifeboat disappeared into time.

Flynn shouted, "All the sharpshooters in this room, and I'm the only one shooting?"

Wyatt replied embarrassingly, "She did take my gun."

Flynn motioned to Amy. "Better tend to her." He turned and faced Agent Christopher. "Way to protect the team. A Rittenhouse spy under our noses." He holstered his gun and walked back to the bunkers shaking his head.

"Amy? Amy?" Lucy was crying at the limp body of her sister.

Wyatt ran to her side. A small pool of blood was under her arm. He reached with two fingers at her pulse on her neck. He smiled. "She's alive." As proof to his statement, Amy began to moan in pain. "Don't move, Amy. The shot was a through and through on your upper arm." He spoke to Lucy. "Get some water and the bandages from the first aid kit. I need to clean the wound first."

Seeing how Lucy was consoling her sister, Agent Christopher said, "I'll get them!"

Amy was now more alert. She mumbled, "Lucy?"

"I'm here, Amy. Always. You're going to be all right." She held Amy's good hand.

"Did…did she mean to shoot me in the arm?"

"Not likely," said Wyatt. "She went for the kill. You can thank your sister for tackling you in time to ruin her aim."

"Ugh…do I have to?" She smiled at Lucy.

Lucy smiled back, shaking her head. "Even when you're injured, you're a pain."

Several hours later

Jessica was correct when she told them she had Jiya disable the tracking system on the Lifeboat. They had no idea where Jessica took Jiya. Connor and Rufus were working frantically for a solution. Wyatt cleaned Amy's wound and bandaged it. They found a piece of dark cloth to put her arm in a sling. Wyatt went off to his now empty bunk with his thoughts. Agent Christopher was researching more information that might have been missed on Jessica. Flynn stayed in his bunk as always, keeping to himself.

Lucy sat in the kitchen area with a half empty bottle of vodka sitting on the table. She was nursing her current shot when Amy came in.

"Can I buy you a drink? Or a bottle?"

Lucy said, "Help yourself." Then she winced. "Oh, sorry, can you pour?"

Amy took the bottle in her good hand and poured a healthy amount in a nearby mug. She set the bottle on the table before she sat in the chair opposite Lucy. "Nothing stops me from having a drink when I truly need it." She took a long sip. "Wow, we haven't sat down to drink together in a long time."

"The closest I can think of recently is when we ate the unopened Snickers bars we got for mom when she had cancer. Of course, that may not have happened in your timeline."

"I remember the Snickers bars she loved. Not the cancer."

"Maybe that's for the best. I wish I could forget seeing mom sick with cancer." She finished her shot and poured another.

Amy said, "I was supposed to go home this afternoon, but Jessica had other plans."

"I'm so sorry, Amy." Lucy gasped. "Oh, your tournament! You won't be able to go now."

Amy waved her good hand. "I don't mind. Truth is, I was getting bored with karate. I already made black belt. Nothing much after that. I mean, I've been going to karate since the tenth grade. You remember taking me to my practices and tournaments?"

"Oh, yes. Every single one. A byproduct of mom's teaching schedule." Lucy allowed a space of silence to pass before she said, "Amy, I'm not going to ask how you are right now. I will ask you what you're thinking now."

Amy took another drink and sighed heavily. "I am thinking that you have a dangerous life right now. A little too dangerous for my taste. Seriously, Luce, you are…were the last person I'd expect living this kind of life."

"It wasn't by choice. Or, maybe it was. Of all the historians in the world, they choose the one who has direct relations with Rittenhouse."

"I can't believe mom is the head of Rittenhouse."

"Not sure if she is the head, but she's pretty high up. Every time I saw her back in time or the current present, she would lecture me on my legacy. I want no part of it."

"I know. Jessica mentioned Emma. You told me last night that she made it so I couldn't come back. How could she do that?"

Lucy looked at her sister. "There's something I left out last night. It won't be easy to tell you. We have a father that we knew and loved. To me, he is our father. But he's not my biological father. That would be Benjamin Cahill. He was a former head of Rittenhouse. He's in prison now. Long ago, he and mom had an affair and she had me."

"Jesus, Luce. Have another drink."

Lucy took a swig and poured another. "Way ahead of ya, sis! I actually think Emma told me that she made you disappear just to threaten me. Her and I don't get along."

"Can't imagine why." Amy smiled and Lucy smiled back. "Look, Agent Christopher told me that her courier to take me home will be here in about an hour. Being that I'm in a sling and drugged on pain pills, it might be good for me to get some rest and silence. Two things I don't think I'll get here right now."

"Our last hour together."

"It doesn't have to be our last."

"You don't know that."

"Neither do you." Amy paused before she said, "Before I go, there's something I have for you. For us." She got up and went to the refrigerator to bring out two large paper cups, each with plastic lids and straws. She tucked one under her working arm and the other in her hand. She set one down in front of Lucy and the other for her. "While you guys were off saving the Civil War, Agent Christopher went out to get these. Strawberry milkshakes."

"Strawberry? How did she—what am I saying? That woman finds everything out eventually." Lucy began sipping the shake. "Mmm, not bad."

After sipping her own, Amy said, "Eh, not as good as the Dairy Barn back home."

"No. Is that place still there?"

"No, it closed ten years ago. There's a Speedway there now."

"Everything changes."

"Yes, Lucy, everything does change. Isn't that sorta the point of history? If everything stayed the same, things would get pretty boring."

"Something my life has not been in the past year."

"Oh, get off your pity horse, sister. Your attitude certainly didn't change with the different timelines."

"And you're still your stubborn self. You were always my Voice of Reason."

"Whenever you listened to me. Which was not often."

"I remember." Lucy leaned forward in her chair. "Amy, I remembered you. For the longest time, I was the only one who remembered you. I only have the one small picture of you that I keep in my locket. I take it with me everywhere. I had it on me during that first trip to the Hindenburg. When I got back, all the pictures of you didn't exist. Erased. That one picture I had was it. It didn't change because it was part of me in my original timeline." Her voice began to break. "Time went by and I hadn't looked at your picture in a while. Then I forgot. I forgot your birthday. And I thought if I forget you, then you would truly be gone forever." Lucy started crying.

Amy reached for Lucy's hand with her good one. "I'm here now, Lucy. I'm right in front of you. I don't know how and I don't care. I'm not comparing our tragedies, but you disappeared from me too. You went missing after the explosion at the Mason Industry explosion. I thought you were dead. Like you did for me, I remembered you. I remembered all the times you saved me and stood up for me. You are not just my sister, Lucy, you're my hero. My idol."

Lucy sniffed. "Yet, you're leaving me in an hour."

"To my home. I live less than thirty minutes away from here. I have to get back to my life. And this life here, whether you chose it or not, I can't be a part of it. I would just be in the way." She chuckled. "And after today, that's in the literal sense."

"What happens when you disappear from me again? What happens when I get off that time machine—if we ever get it back—and you don't exist again?"

"Then you'll remember me again. Maybe this time your team will remember me. But that hasn't happened."

"How? How can I remember?"

Amy thought for a moment and asked, "Do you have your cell with you?"

Taken back by the question, Lucy hesitated before she replied, "Yes." She reached into her pocket to retrieve her cell phone. She handed it to Amy.

Amy took it and started swiping. She reached the app that she needed and said, "Ok, dry your eyes and give us a smile." She scooted her chair closer to Lucy and she snapped a picture of them. She looked at the picture and said, "Aw, come on, Luce, you can smile better than that. Imagine you're sitting next to Ian Fleming."

Lucy scoffed. "Please. He did not impress me with all his flirting."

"All right. Then imagine Wyatt professing his undying love for you."

Lucy's mouth gaped. "Amy, he's married."

"Don't know if you're up on current events, Luce. If Wyatt still wants to be married to Jessica after what she did today, then he may not be the one for you. Also, she shot me, so, not a big fan of Jessica."

"All right. Take another one."

Amy snapped another picture and Lucy smiled wider this time. "There. Now I'm a bit rusty on my space time knowledge, but if you put these pics on a flash drive and keep it with you they shouldn't change."

"Works in theory."

"For now, though, let's finish our shakes."

"And vodka."

"Amen. Two things that go together perfectly."

"Just like us."

Amy and Lucy spent the next hour talking about everything besides time travel. Amy revealed that she was dating a guy who owns a fitness complex. Lucy asked her about that strawberry shampoo that she remembered. Amy told her that Avon discontinued it years ago. They reminisced about their prom and when Lucy beat up the guy who stood up Amy. It was that act that made Amy stick with karate. Lucy expressed regret for not taking the teaching position in Ohio that her mother advised against but Amy told her to take. Lucy confessed that she would never listen to her mother's advice ever again.

When the hour was up, Agent Christopher came in and announced that Amy's ride was here to take her home.

Lucy said to her sister, "As we say around here, time's up."

"Lucy, we're not saying goodbye forever. We will see each other again."

"Unless Rittenhouse has something to say about it."

"I may not know much, but I think Rittenhouse may have bigger plans."

Agent Christopher added, "My sentiment as well. Right now, keeping Amy away from you is low on their priorities. Jessica's actions today proved that."

Amy asked, "Is there any word on getting Jiya back?"

"We know that they didn't time travel anywhere. They stayed in the present. Where exactly is still unknown. Connor and Rufus are not stopping until they find out."

Amy said, "I hope you find her and bring her back." Christopher nodded her thanks and Amy's attention was to Lucy. "Ok, sis, bring it in, but be careful."

Lucy went to hug Amy, mindful of her injury. "You don't mind if I stay in this moment a little longer? I imagined this moment for an entire year. And now it's real."

Amy looked into her sister's eyes and reiterated, "We will see each other again, Lucy. You just keep doing good and save people. Go figure. My sister—the Time Traveling Superhero."

Lucy let go of her embrace and said, "Go make me a cape."

"Oh, I can so see you in a tight, bright yellow latex suit."

"I'm not wearing that."

"We'll see. Bye, sis."

Amy walked with Agent Christopher. Lucy called out, "Amy! I will remember you!"

"You better! If not I'll haunt you from Oblivion!"

Lucy watched as Amy turned the corner and disappeared with Agent Christopher. She felt more confident that she would return.

She didn't have long to enjoy the moment as the klaxon alert sounded through the complex.

She ran to the main control area. Rufus and Connor were at the computers. She cried out, "Is it back? Is Jiya back?"

Rufus brightened. "I think so. Looks like she's coming home."

Connor exclaimed, "Jiya must have managed to escape."

"That's my girl."

A rush of wind began to swirl in the area and an image of the Lifeboat appeared. For a few seconds. It then disappeared and the wind died down.

"What happened?" cried Lucy.

Wyatt ran into the area. "Is she back?"

"I don't know!" snapped Rufus. He was typing frantically on the computer.

Connor asked, "Did she stick to the landing?"

Rufus cried out, "No! No! No! This isn't right. It's gone."

Connor looked panicked. "Could you be a bit more specific, Rufus?"

Rufus turned to them and said in monotone, "The Lifeboat. Jiya. They're lost in time."

The End…of this story.

Timeless continues with the episode Chinatown

Epilogue to follow soon!