The afternoon continued in much the same way-reading of the curious stories, punctuated by conversations trying to understand how such stories were even possible. Eventually, Lucy pointed out that there were enough tablets to go around, and since Bunker B came equipped with half-ways comfortable couches, they might as well use them. So the group had moved to the living area, with Rufus making a pit-stop in the kitchen for snacks and more beer.
About twenty minutes later, the companionable quiet was broken when Wyatt loudly set his beer down on the side table.
"What's with all the stories about me and cats? This is like the fourth one I've read today….and I don't even like cats!"
"Don't like cats?" asked Rufus, "Of course you do-my Mom's cat used to be all over you whenever you'd come over."
Wyat looked at him incredulously, "Because apparently, the cat likes me. There's a difference-"
By then Lucy had grabbed the tablet from Wyatt and started reading. "Oh, this is similar to one I read earlier, they're great! Mister tough Master Sergeant adopting a kitten….so sweet!" she gave him a teasing wink.
Wyatt shrugged, tugging the tablet back toward him. "Well, maybe cats are okay…."
Lucy didn't miss it when Rufus rolled his eyes. Apparently, neither did Wyatt.
"What?" he asked, leveling a glare at his friend.
"Nothin'..." said Rufus, shrugging.
"Somethin'…." said Wyatt.
Jiya elbowed Rufus in the ribs.
"Argh….fine," said Rufus. "When are you two going to give up this whole star-crossed thing and just get back to the lovin' part?"
"What?" asked Wyatt.
Jiya elbowed Rufus in the ribs again, so he swallowed back his response.
But then, seeming to relent from her initial position of not continuing this line of conversation, Jiya rolled her eyes. "I mean, everybody here-she motioned to the tablets-sees it too."
Wyatt's eyes met Lucy's briefly, then he ducked his head. "Don't know what you're talking' about."
Lucy dipped her own head back to the tablet. She didn't want to talk about this either-but somehow his reaction still hurt.
She caught Jiya's glance out of the corner of her eye.
"Yes, you do," she pressed. "You know as well as we do, as well as these writers do, that you guys don't behave like you're just work-colleagues."
"Jiya," Rufus warned.
Lucy's level of discomfort was reaching 'actionable' levels, so she broke in to save Wyatt from any more of this conversation. "You may be adopting kittens, in some of these stories but in this one you get me a dog."
"A dog?" Wyatt smirked, seemingly grateful to abandon Jiya's chosen conversation topic for another one. "Did you like it, the dog?"
"Apparently," Lucy nodded…..though I'm not sure it's practical while we're time travelling.
"What are we talking about now?" Rufus shook his head.
"Actually," Jiya said with a sigh, as though knowing she wouldn't be getting anywhere with her previous topic. "I've got you both beat….there's a barnyard animal in this story."
"What?!" asked Wyatt and Lucy in unison.
Their joint response was apparently enough to cause Jiya to topple over in on the loveseat in a fit of giggles.
"What?!" asked Wyatt and Lucy again-and in unison, again. Which only made Jiya's laughing fit worse.
Between more giggles she managed to get out, "Yeah….managing to always respond in sync-sure, totally normal work-colleague relationship you guys."
Wyatt looked at Lucy, his eyes wide….she was trying to think of something, anything to say, to get the topic off of them and back to the stories, when Jiya righted herself on the couch, and apparently decided to take pity on the pair.
Jiya shook her head. "Okay, fine. Getting back to the stories, kittens and livestock, and dogs, oh my!"
And with that, now Rufus was laughing too. And then Lucy got the giggles. Wyatt covered his mouth behind his hand, but Lucy caught his muffled chuckle too.
"Okay," said Lucy, gasping for breath, "It's possible some of us are getting punchy."
And that only made Jiya laugh harder. "At least I've been up all night, what's your excuse"
"Look," said Wyatt, who then had to control his own laughter again. "Can we try to go back to being serious for a minute here? Enough with the animals. I mean….we still need to figure out-what is this stuff?
"These stories, you mean?" Lucy looked at her screen, then at her friends. "Well, let's look at this logically….somehow, these people know about time travel….they know about Rittenhouse….and they know about us."
Rufus nodded. "Agreed….but what's with the….story-telling format? I mean, so much of it is spot on….and other stuff, it's like it's from an alternate universe or something."
"Welllll," said Jiya, careful going through her notes. "I think I've discovered something." She turned back to the first page of her notes and continued. "It's clear if you watch the date stamps….the writers get new information as they go."
"What do you mean?" Wyatt asked.
"Look at these. Almost all of these stories between this date-she pointed at the screen-and this date seem to have an awareness that….she glanced at Lucy apologetically….Carol Preston is Rittenhouse. And they write as though Lucy and all of us know it too."
Lucy tried to ignore the tug at her heart that was still present….probably always would be present, whenever someone mentioned her mother. "Okay, but…."
"Hang on," Jiya continued. "They all show that awareness, but none of them have us living in the bunker. We're all hangin' out in our apartments, or Rufus is with his mom….and a whole lot of them seem to have Wyatt an' Lucy…..living together."
"Living together?" asked Wyatt, his eyes wide.
"Platonically," Lucy said quickly, "In the one I read."
"Sure, platonically," said Jiya with a smile. "That's what we'll call it….in some of them, at least."
"What?" asked Lucy.
Jiya winked.
Wyatt brushed his hand across his face. "Okay, so they don't know about the secret bunker….maybe because Agent Christopher did a really good job of making sure it was secret."
Jiya nodded. "Possibly….except…."
"Except what?" asked Lucy.
"Except that all seems to change right around this date," Jiya pointed again at her notes. "Most of the….accounts, after this date? They have us living in the bunker. And apparently playing musical bedrooms."
Rufus shrugged, "Well, I mean….they're not wrong about that."
Jiya glared at him, but continued. "And they can't figure out why none of us managed to install a four dollar lock on the bathroom door either."
"What are you looking at me like that for?" said Rufus, "I was trying to fix a time machine, if you'll recall…."
Wyatt leaned over Jiya's shoulder, looking at the dates on her notepad, and ignoring Rufus' indignation. "So….it seems like they all got some new intel around that date. But that date….it's more than two months before the bunker was compromised….so how do they get their information?"
"The other interesting thing?" Jiya glanced a Rufus who was diving into a bag of potato chips, apparently finding that more interesting. But she continued, "You know how, for the most part, they get stuff mostly right? Well that all seems to stop right after the future yous showed up in the Lifeboat version 20.22. They keep writing….but it's all over the place, and doesn't line up with what we actually did to….you know."
Rufus looked up from his potato chips, "Raise me from the dead?"
"Yeah, that."
Wyatt crossed his arms for a moment, thinking. "So….I guess they're waiting for another intel dump?"
Lucy scrubbed her fists against her eyes. "Okay, so, I can buy that these authors are getting dumps of information at different times….and I don't really want to think about the how of it anymore….but why do they write it like this….in the format of a story?"
She looked up to see nothing but blank stares from her team. Eventually, Rufus shrugged.
"I guess they figure it's easier for people to accept the information in this form-better than writing it as fact on the front page of the newspaper, you know?"
Lucy was quiet a moment, turning that idea over in her mind. "Maybe. But surely, if this information….this information about us, our mission, is out there….surely somebody, some news agency, would have caught wind of this, and published it widely in a more traditional format, right?"
Jiya stood, and slowly walked around the computer desks to face the Lifeboat. "I didn't think much about it at the time-just put it in my notes as a curiosity-but I did see a whole series of stories mentioning NBC in the author's notes."
"NBC like the TV network?" asked Wyatt, crossing his arms, "That's kinda concerning…."
"Who doesn't want to be on TV?" asked Rufus.
Wyatt shook his head. "Seriously. I mean….this is top secret information just floating around the internet! If NBC gets ahold of this…."
Jiya came back around the desk to face the rest of the group. "But….most of the comments were actually about various anatomically impossible things NBC could do to itself."
Rufus scrunched his brow, seemingly in confusion, "That's….odd."
Wyatt pinched his nose, letting out a soft sigh. "Wait, are you saying that NBC, a national news and entertainment agency, may know about these missions….this little project of ours?"
Jiya gave a tiny shrug, and looked at Lucy. "Seems likely."
But something in all of this….Lucy knew it just didn't make sense. After a pause to compose the thoughts swirling in her brain, she gave voice to that very thought. "No. That doesn't make any sense. I mean, if NBC knew about what we're doing here, knew about the importance of all of this….knew about the danger posed by Rittenhouse but how we can draw inspiration from heroes of the past and….the family we choose and stand to fight against that danger? They'd be talking about it. Major media outlets don't bury something like that-they'd be advertising the heck out of it, shouting it from the rooftops…."
Rufus shrugged. "Well….apparently not."
Lucy shook her head in exasperation. "So what does that mean?"
Wyatt rubbed his hand across his face and stood, moving slightly….closing the distance between them again, not that she noticed….well, not that she tried-very-hard-not-to-notice-but-was-failing-miserably type of not noticing.
"Well," he said, "If that company, that network, knew about us, about this….and did nothing with that information? Well then NBC sucks."
She nodded at him, with a light smile, silently asking him to continue.
"NBC sucks because if that's the case, then it sounds like they don't believe in us." he said.
Rufus snorted. "Well then, now I'm feeling indignant! They should believe in us-we're awesome!"
Wyatt shrugged, "Maybe it's a good thing, that most people have no idea what's happening with the time machines. The last thing we need is for the whole planet to know their past, present, and future can change in the blink of an eye without them knowing it….and all because someone in Rittenhouse, or even us, might….step on a blade of grass the wrong way or something."
Rufus raised an eyebrow, "Okay, I get butterfly effect and all, but you might be taking it a bit far with that metaphor."
Wyatt sighed. "You know what I mean."
Lucy nodded. "Agreed, even though parts of me wish the media would talk about it, so that more good people could stand against Rittenhouse….it's still important to protect the secret of time travel, for now."
"I don't know," said Rufus…."I wouldn't mind watching somebody play me on NBC. It would be cool."
Wyatt raised an eyebrow at him.
"So these writers," Jiya began, "Write their stories to get the word out about what's going on….because the media won't take it seriously?"
Lucy shrugged. "As good a theory as any….I mean, I get that they want to write about it, what we do, it's pretty incredible….and I think there's lessons people could learn, about making the world a better place."
Rufus pointed to his tablet with a grin, "Yeah, lessons on making the world a better place. Because that's why this rated-M story was written."
"You are not seriously reading another one of those, are you?" asked Wyatt.
"It's like I can't force myself to look away…."
"Lemme help you," Wyatt wrenched the tablet from his hands.
By late afternoon, Lucy was curled at one of the couch, Wyatt at the other, while Rufus
and Jiya were sitting against each other on the loveseat that was positioned at a ninety degree angle to the couch. She scanned her list of stories again, and the meager notes she had taken. They'd agreed on another hour of reading, and then another attempt at trying to figure it out. She suspected another hour of reading wouldn't put them any closer to answers than they were the hour earlier.
She stretched her feet out in front of her, rotating her ankles. She didn't want to be bent up like a pretzel any more….but she also wasn't sure where she should put her feet. She glanced to the other side of the couch, Wyatt seemed engrossed in his story, sipping at his beer. She weighed the possible outcomes in her head. What the hell? She swung her legs up onto the couch, her feet ending basically in Wyatt's lap, given it wasn't exactly a large couch. She watched him for a moment, prepared to draw her feet back and apologise if necessary, but he didn't stop reading. He didn't stop reading, and shifted, so that her feet were fully in his lap, then grabbed one of her feet with his free hand, slowly rubbing circles over her arch. And there was absolutely nothing about their present position in the couch that suggested anything other than friends and work colleagues, she told herself. And if anyone tried to say otherwise-she glanced over at Jiya and Rufus, but both were focused on their tablets-then she would deny it.
She tried to return to her story, to read the next paragraph….but Wyatt's hand on her foot was distracting. And what was she doing, anyway? She tried to tell herself that she just wanted to stretch her legs, and that the impromptu foot massage was all his idea….except that another part of her knew that it had been the type of response she'd hoped for, when she first stretched out. She closed her eyes briefly, enjoying the pressure against her foot….but also trying to center herself, to remind herself they were friends again, and any other thoughts would just….complicate things.
She opened her eyes again and looked up from her tablet. Wyatt was still reading, but something was….off. "Wyatt?"
He looked up at her, almost sheepishly. Then she realized why-his eyes were misty.
"You okay?"
He ducked his head again and squeezed her foot lightly. "Yeah. It's just this one….it's nice."
She watched as he combed his fingers through his hair, then looked back at her, a slight smile on his face. "Some of this stuff can….get to you."
"Show me?" she asked.
He said nothing for a moment. She suspected he was nervous to make himself vulnerable with her yet again-not that she could blame him. She glanced over at Rufus and Jiya again, they were still engrossed in their own work, oblivious to what was happening on the couch. When she looked back at Wyatt, he held her eyes for a moment, as though still weighing his decision….and then he shifted on the couch, gently placing her feet down and motioning for her to come closer.
So she did. She sat upright and slid over, until her thigh pressed against his. Then he swung his arm across the back of the couch, and she leaned fully against him to look at the tablet.
She read silently for a few minutes, eventually risking a glance at Wyatt's face-and found that he was still looking down at her warmly.
"What do you think?" he said softly.
"You're right," she knew her eyes were probably shining with an unshed tear or two as well, "I like this one too. It's so….hopeful-a family found."
"What, reading about your kids?" Rufus' voice came from across the room, breaking the moment.
"What?" she asked, brushing her sleeve across her face to dry her eyes as casually as possible, how long had he been listening-and how had she not noticed?
"Kids…." asked Wyatt, a slight strain in his voice, "No….this one….was about….my Mom."
"Oh," Rufus replied.
She should leave it there….she should leave it all right there….and she knew it. But Lucy couldn't help herself. "What do you mean, kids?"
Rufus shrugged, "You said family….and it's just that….well there's a whole bunch of stories about you guys….and kids…." he trailed off.
Realizing what he was getting at, Lucy felt a small wave of panic rising in her as she tried to guess at Wyatt's reaction and she straightened, breaking her contact with him on the couch.
"Nevermind." said Rufus.
She chanced a glance in Wyatt's direction then, but whatever negative reaction she had been expecting to see in his eyes….it wasn't there, he was still looking at her warmly….and what did that even mean? After everything today….she wasn't processing any of this well anymore.
Her train of thought was broken when Jiya stood and walked over.
"Here, trade ya' tablets, you should read this one."
She raised an eyebrow at her inquisitively, but it was clear her friend wasn't going to have anything more to say on the subject, so she shrugged and made the trade, and started to read. After a few minutes she felt Wyatt's eyes on her again so she looked up and smiled.
"Another good one?" he asked casually.
"Absolutely," she replied. "It's about Amy, we….get her back."
"Nice," he smiled, moving across the cushions to see her screen.
"You get to meet her too."
"Yeah? Do I like her?"
"Of course!"
"Does she like me?"
Lucy gave him the best version of his own smirk she could manage. "Guess you'll just going to have to read and find out, aren't you?"
"Okay," he nodded, one more here-and then I'm reading that story." She watched as he turned back to the screen, clicked on a new title, and then grimaced.
"What?"
"Oh….it's another one of those 'M' ones, sharing a bed in a snowstorm." He quickly swiped across the screen to a new title. "Argh, and another one….wait, sex pollen?"
"Ooh," said Jiya from across the room. "Who do those two stories feature?"
"What?" asked Wyatt, swiping again to another story.
"Are they about you and Lucy again?"
He glanced down at the screen and back at Lucy. Silence hung in the air for a moment, but then he shrugged and said, "Yeah."
"Huh. Too bad," said Jiya.
"Too bad?" Lucy asked.
"Yeah, I was hoping it was about Rufus an' me."
"You're right!" Rufus exclaimed. "Why does no one write about our sex lives?"
"You're saying you want them to?" asked Wyatt.
"No," agreed Rufus. "But….guess I'm just feeling left out?"
"I'll write something about us for you," said Jiya. "Or film something," she said almost as an afterthought.
Rufus' eyes lit up.
Lucy shook her head. "Way too much info there."
"Sorry," Jiya shrugged.
Lucy decided it was well past time to change the subject again, and she glanced down at the paragraph she'd been reading. "There's a whole lot of holiday stories here-this one's a Halloween story."
"I read some Halloween-based stories too," said Rufus. "Love Halloween, still mad we missed it this year chasing Rittenhouse."
Lucy nodded at him. "I didn't mind….not a huge Halloween fan."
"Why not?"
She shrugged. "I don't know...I don't like things like haunted houses."
"Well," said Jiya, "You haven't read enough of these stories then….I mean….haunted houses seem to turn out pretty well for you."
"What?" Lucy asked, puzzled.
"Nothing," smiled Jiya. Then she continued, motioning toward her screen. "This story's….interesting," she paused, waiting to ensure she had everyone's attention. "Apparently we all need to watch out because in this one, Wyatt's a Rittenhouse agent."
"What?" laughed Rufus.
"I mean it."
"Is it a joke?" asked Lucy.
"No," Jiya replied, "Like for real, he's Rittenhouse. I mean, it's not like he really wants to be, but…." She trailed off, then shifted slightly to look directly at Wyatt. "Actually there's parts of this story that really make sense…."
"I'm not Rittenhouse, Jiya," Wyatt rolled his eyes.
"But isn't that exactly what a Rittenhouse agent would say?"
Lucy watched as Wyatt struggled to find something else to say, and then looked at her for support. "What are you looking at me for?"
"I'm not Rittenhouse!" he said again, exasperation sneaking into his voice, which caused Jiya to start giggling uncontrollably again.
"I'm not!" he sputtered.
Lucy looked between them, smiling herself, but decided to take pity on Wyatt and help him change the subject. She'd started a new story, and this one had a really great conversation between her a Jiya….it was about her non-existent-in-real-life relationship with Wyatt….but nobody else needed to know that. Instead, she said simply, "You know Jiya, I like all the stories where the two of us have some good talks. You seem to talk a lot of sense in these stories."
Jiya grinned, "I always do, don't I? I mean, you say that like it surprises you!"
Lucy laughed, "No, never surprised by you."
Rufus waved his tablet in JIya's direction then. "You know what else, Wyatt seems to do a lot of deep thinking in these stories."
"You say that like it surprises you," Wyatt cut in.
"It surprises me when any of the men in this bunker manage a deep thought," cut in Jiya.
"Seriously?" asked Rufus.
"Well….yeah," Jiya replied, doubling over in laughter.
Rufus looked helplessly at Lucy.
"Hey-I agree with her," she said, smiling sweetly at him. Which caused Jiya's laughter to only intensify.
"Okay….okay," she said, between fits of laughter. "It is now clear to me that I am way over-tired."
"You think?" asked Wyatt, shaking his head.
Lucy turned off her tablet. "I think we should give this stuff a rest for today."
"Agreed," said Rufus.
"Don't know that we're any closer to figuring it all out," groused Wyatt.
"No," Lucy said softly. "But I'm sure we will, eventually. For now, I don't think any of this poses an immediate threat-I mean, they've been writing for almost two years…."
Wyatt nodded. "Okay….I guess we chalk it up to one more mystery of time travel for today."
"Right," she said, nodding.
"So what now?" asked Rufus. "Flynn and Christopher should be back soon….should someone get dinner ready?"
"Actually," said Jiya, standing and stretching, "I think I'm done for today….it's been a long one." She looked pointedly at Rufus. "You should come to bed too."
Rufus shrugged. "Yeah, I guess we could use some sleep." He pulled himself off the couch and made to follow her."
"Wasn't thinkin' sleep," Jiya muttered.
Lucy covered her face with her hand, but the two had started down the hallway, and were already out of sight.
"Okay," Rufus' voice still managed to float into the living area, "Not gonna lie, it's a little weird that stories about our friends' love life got you all hot and bothered."
"Actually, it was mostly this one garcy thing…."
"Ew."
"If it's seriously a problem, then we can go back to separate rooms."
"Did I say that? I didn't say that!"
And then the living room was quiet again. Lucy looked toward Wyatt, whose look of mortification probably matched her own.
"Well," she said.
"Well," he answered.
"Let's….let's just…."
"Not talk about any of that?" he supplied.
"Deal." she said.
To be continued...
A/N: Trying to find a creative way to ask you to review...but can't come up with anything other than traditional begging-so please use the box to tell me what you think!
