A/N: Sorry for the long delay. I am working on this story as well as "This War That We Are In" once more. I had a lot of family issues to deal with and had no time to write. I hope everyone will continue to enjoy reading this. I have not forgotten about it, and promise to update more as soon as I can! Thank you for sticking with me.

Lucy and Rufus heard a car engine outside, Rufus cautiously peeked though the door, "It's Denise." he breathed a sigh of relief.

She ducked inside, clearly upset.

"What happened?" Lucy asked.

"I haven't been able to get a hold of my family. I've tried house phone and cell phone and nothing." she was clearly trying to hold back her tears, "I told you I felt bad for your mother before, having a child and not remembering her...I think it's worse to have had a family and remember them but they are gone."

"Denise, we don't know they are gone yet." Lucy said softly, "Maybe they are just busy. Go home and look for them. Look for photos. If you find photos of them in your house, then they are okay. They're here."

Denise nodded, "Any problems here?" she asked.

"No," Rufus said, "Seems to still be the empty warehouse we left. Lucy is coming home to stay with me."

"What changed?" Denise asked.

"Wyatt seems to be drunk, there's no Jessica, we don't know what happened to her." Lucy said sadly, "We got him back, but he sounded like just a shell of himself."

"Jiya remembered me from ten years ago. We sorta have a date tonight. She never heard of Mason and hasn't seen me in ten years." Rufus added.

"What about Mason?" Denise asked.

"We haven't gotten that far yet." Lucy sighed, "We also haven't discovered what has changed history wise. We were worried about our families and loved ones first."

"Understood." Denise nodded, "Let's all go home and get something to eat, rest up and we will meet back here first thing tomorrow morning."

"We will do some research and see what has changed from what we remember." Lucy offered.

"I'll do the same." Denise nodded, "Lucy, I also will see what I can do about getting you put into the system. I'll have to call in some favors if I am still at Homeland."

"Thank you." Lucy smiled softly.

I I I

Denise Christopher pulled into her driveway, to find two strange cars parked there. The outside looked different, as if it was a different house, but she was sure this was the house, the same house she had been coming home to for the last fifteen years.

"Hello! Can I help you?" a man walked outside followed by a woman and two small children.

"Um...no. I guess I got the wrong house. I am sorry." Denise backed out of the driveway and drove to a parking lot of a local restaurant. She pulled out her pocketbook to look at her drivers license, then realized that they wouldn't have changed. She took that with her. Finally, she went to the glove department and pulled out the registration for her car.

Denise Christopher

4567 Glen View Acres Drive

Apt 24

San Francisco, CA

'I live an apartment? What about my family?' She wondered.

She typed in the address into her GPS and followed the directions, parking in a space that had 24 wrote on it. She scanned the buildings, noticing that it was a two story building. Everything on the lower level was 1, so she took an elevator up to the second story, where she followed a hallway until she reached 24. Denise looked at her key ring. She had one for her car and two others. She tried the first one, the door opened.

"Hello?" she called stepping inside and closing the door behind her.

There was no answer. Denise carefully walked into what appeared to be the living room area. She didn't recognize any of the furniture. There were no photos, although there was a few certificates hanging on the wall with her name on them. They were related to her college and her job at Homeland Security.

"Well, looks like I still have my job," she stated sadly, "But my family is gone."

Denise walked though the living room to the kitchen. There was a small table set up there. Dishes and glasses in the cupboards, some fruit on the counter, the fridge was light, but had enough in there for one person. She walked down a small hallway that lead out of the living room. There was one bedroom there and a small bath. The closet had a few basic suite outfits.

Denise sank down on the edge of the full bed and buried her head in her hands and cried. Whatever they had done in 1979 had taken away her family. There was no trace of them, it appeared she led a lonely life.

After a few moments, she opened her lap top and typed in the names of her family. Anna Cummings – search results appeared with a face book page for her. Denise clicked on it and scrolled though the page. It appeared Anna was married to a man and living in Ohio with three kids.

Next, Denise typed in the names of her two kids before they were adopted. Justin Morgan – she found no results for him. If he was adopted his records would be hidden and the family probably changed his name. She tried for Marie Summons and found the same. No results. She didn't know if the kids existed or if they still were awaiting for adoption or if they were happy in another home. She probably would never know.

I I I

"I can't believe even my car is vanished," Lucy muttered as she followed Rufus to his car.

"We'll stop by the store and you can get yourself some cloths and things." he stated, "Tomorrow we'll see about getting you a car."

"I can't just go buy a car!" Lucy said, getting in the passengers seat, "I will have to insure it and the insurance company will run my license, which, technically does not exist! No insurance, no tags. No tags, no can drive."

Rufus shook his head, pulling out of the parking lot, "Okay, so we'll buy cloths tonight and tomorrow I will give you my old car. It runs good, I just don't drive it much since I got a new one. I am kinda attached to it, so I can't sell it. It will be good to have it driven a while."

"Thanks." Lucy smiled softly, "Say, can I have your phone for one more call?"

"Yeah, sure." Rufus motioned at his phone sitting in the cup holder charging.

"Thanks. I want to call home...or what used to be home. I just want to see if Amy answers and see how my mom is." Lucy dialed the familiar number and listened to it ringing.

"Hello, you have reached Carol Preston. I am sorry, I am not able to take your call right now. Leave a message and I will get back with you shortly."

Lucy hanged up with tears in her eyes.

"What happened?" Rufus asked.

"It was my mom's voice on the answering machine. No mention of Amy. I failed at bringing Amy back."

"Maybe Amy just doesn't live there anymore. Maybe she's got her own place."

"Maybe." Lucy shrugged.

Rufus pulled into a Belk's parking lot, "Is this good to get a few outfits at?" he asked.

"Yeah, I will be quick, I promise." Lucy shot him a small smile. Normally, if she went shopping for cloths, it would be a all day event. Now though, now, she just needed something to get by with.

I I I

Wyatt swallowed the last of the whiskey and tossed the bottle on the floor along with the other whiskey bottles and beer cans. Getting up from the sofa he started into the kitchen to grab a beer out of the fridge but stumbled and tripped over his feet before falling back on the sofa. He laid there fighting the sleep. He hated sleep anymore. Sleep meant nightmares, nightmares of the war and the SEAL team he left behind.

Groaning Wyatt tried to get up again, only to stumble and crash onto the floor. He laid there allowing the blackness to take over. If he passed out drunk, then maybe, just maybe the nightmares wouldn't come back and haunt him. He never felt so worthless and hopeless in his life. He failed his team, they got killed because he led them into danger and was unable to save them.

He should be out there looking for a job, he should straighten himself out and return to Pennington and receive another post, before he found himself dishonorably discharged. Slowly, sleep over took him.

"Wyatt, I love you. I always will love you. I will find you again one day. Don't do this to yourself. I need you. We are meant to be. Stay strong for me and we will be together again." a woman whispered to him, her dark brown hair long and flowing, her eyes a deep dark brown, her face was pale, small, beautiful. She looked so familiar, felt as if he knew her, but he had never seen her before. Her voice was soft and peaceful. She brought him peaceful sleep for the first time in months.

I I I

Flynn tried to call Lucy, but the phone was disconnected. He didn't know where else to go. The police had arrested Carol, but he still knew he wasn't safe at home. His family wasn't safe. He couldn't go to Mason, he didn't know what awaited him there. He figured Agent Christopher would be his best chance, so he pulled over at a local gas station and dialed her number.

"Denise." she answered.

"It's Flynn. Can we talk?" he asked.

"Yeah, what is it?"

"You sound depressed? Is everything okay? Are you still with Homeland?" Flynn asked.

"Yes, I am still Homeland, but things aren't okay. My family is gone. My partner is married to a man in Ohio, and I don't know what became of my kids. I don't have my house anymore, I have an apartment and I live alone there. So no, not okay. What do you need, Flynn?"

"Carol Preston was at my house when I got home. She's in police custody now. She tried to kill my family and I. She stated that Emma is working with Rittenhouse and Emma took the lifeboat from Mason and followed us, but arrived too late. Carol IS Rittenhouse. When we took down the members, they had designated survivors like the government does. Rittenhouse is still going strong today, but I at least got my family back. We won't be safe though. Not as long as Rittenhouse knows about us. Neither will Lucy. Carol and Emma know about Lucy, me, my family, and everything we have done. Who knows who all they will tell in Rittenhouse."

"Do you have a place to go?" Denise asked, rubbing her forehead. The nightmare continues.

"No." Flynn sighed.

Denise gave him the address to her apartment, "It's one bedroom, but I can get a cot or something for your little girl and you guys can have the bedroom. I'll sleep on the sofa for a few nights, at least until we figure out what is going on here. Once I figure out what my position is in Homeland Security I will get a car parked at your house and have round the clock protection on your family.

"Thank you." Flynn stated, "I know we aren't on the same page, or at least didn't start out that way. I have my family back and that's all I care about, but I will help you in anyway I can to bring down Rittenhouse."

"I appreciate it. It is getting late, though. Get your family here and settled and tomorrow we will start finding out what has changed and what roles everyone has in this time line."

I I I

"I hate to drop you off and run, but I've got to get ready for my date with Jiya. I don't want to mess things up. She's probably already mad at me about not speaking to her for ten years."

"Yeah, I would be pretty upset too." Lucy smiled softly, "Don't worry about it. I am sure your mom and I will get along great."

"She is a sweet lady. She's the only person I know that truly has a heart of gold. She never meets a stranger and finds the good in everyone. I bet she probably would even find some good in Rittenhouse." Rufus laughed.

"That would be pretty hard." Lucy stated as Rufus led her into the house.

"Hey mom..." he called out.

"In the kitchen dear, come on in." she called.

"This way." Rufus lead Lucy though the living room, then dining room into the kitchen.

"Mom, this is Lucy. Lucy, my mom, Annette."

"Nice to meet you." she smiled.

"Same here dear. Rufus, why don't you show her to the guest bedroom, show her where the bath is and give her a quick tour around the house. I will have dinner ready here in just a few."

"Okay mom, but I won't be here for dinner. I am meeting a old college friend tonight."

"Alright sweetie, no problem. Take care of yourself. Lucy and I will do just fine."

"Hey Rufus," David peeked his head out of his room, "You coming to my school tomorrow?"

"What's tomorrow, other then Saturday?" Rufus asked with a grin. "Prep Rally...kinda like a party because we won the game last week. Also they're having a bake sale to try and raise money for new uniforms."

"Sure, I'll be there." Rufus grinned, "This is my friend Lucy, she'll be staying with us for a little bit. Lucy, this is my little bro, David."

"Hey Lucy, Whats up." David lifted his hand for a high five.

"Not much. Nice to meet you." she smiled, returning his high five.

"Yeah." David nodded, then closed the door to his room to return to his newest video game.

"He's not much for words," Rufus shrugged.

"It's okay." Lucy stated, "He's a teenager. I was too once."

"Yeah, same here." Rufus agreed, stopping in front of a door. "This here is the guest room. There's a TV in there, you can put your stuff in the closet and dresser, make yourself at home."

Lucy dropped off her Belk's bags on the bed, then Rufus led her down the hall, "Here's the other bath. You should find just about everything you need in there. If you need anything just yell."

"Okay, thanks." Lucy nodded, feeling a bit awarkward about this whole situations. She had never been in a position that she had to depend on someone other then her mom for a place to stay. Before she knew what was happening, she started crying.

"Hey, hey, it's okay." Rufus pulled her into a hug, "What' you crying about."

"I don't know." Lucy shook her head, "I am just so stressed."

"It will be okay. You have me and my mom. You have Agent Christopher. We will help you though this. We'll even help Wyatt. Maybe we can get him back on at Mason, give him something to do, you know?"

Lucy nodded, drying her eyes.

"Mom's room and my room are upstairs, along with two more baths, so you'll just be sharing this one with David." Rufus stated, "and he's not in there much." he rolled his eyes, causing Lucy to laugh a little.

"I am gonna go get ready to meet with Jiya. Get cleaned up or whatever you need to do, mom will call you when dinner's ready. I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay." Lucy whispered, "Thank you."

"Any time." Rufus patted her back and headed into the kitchen to let his mom know Lucy was getting ready, and give her a heads up on her emotional state.

I I I

Jiya was already at the restaurant when Rufus arrived, with a dozen roses.

"Hey, didn't mean to keep you waiting." he smiled, handing her the flowers.

"Wow, thank you." Jiya took the flowers, "They're beautiful. I've been waiting ten years for this...I don't think a few more minutes mattered." she smiled.

Rufus laughed with her, pulling the chair out. He wished he could tell her it was only a day for him, but he didn't want to scare her off, if this was their first meeting in ten years.

"Well, um, how have you been?" he asked.

"Good...busy." she mused.

"You like your job? I mean, making robot brains, that sounds exciting!"

"It was..." she mused, "I guess it still is, but...I don't know, it's like we're at a dead end right now. Nothing new, exciting..."

"Ah, yeah, I know what you mean."

"Really? You said you were working on a time machine. I can't even imagination! Did it work? Did you guys actually travel in it?"

"Well, it's really kinda top secret stuff, but yeah, we went on a few missions." Rufus smiled.

"That is just, wow, amazing!" Jiya stated.

Rufus laughed softly, "It was, but sometimes it's not worth the cost."

"Expensive technology, huh?"

"More ways then one. You know the Butterfly Effect? It's true. One little change in the past can have profound effects on the future. And the thing is, people who are traveling in the past when that change takes place, they remember how things were...but the people who are living in the present when the change takes place, well, they never know any thing changed and they just know the way things are now."

"That is...just...mind blowing."

"Yeah..you could say that." Rufus shrugged, "So, enough about this mind blowing stuff...I feel like I already know all there is about you, but...let's hear it."

"Can I get you two something to drink?" a waiter approached their table.

"Tea." Jiya ordered.

"a coke." Rufus nodded.

"Well, I still love Star Wars...you remember us spending all day on the sofa watching all those movies?" she laughed.

"Yeah," Rufus smiled.

"So, what about you? What has changed with you in the last ten years?"

Rufus shrugged, "Nothing much. I am still a geek. I love messing with computers and programming."

"Yeah, we had that in common, along with so much more. I often wonder why you never contacted me again. I really missed you." Jiya said sadly.

"I was stupid." Rufus stated, "I got caught up in my school and then got caught up at Mason. I spend all my time working anymore."

"So, it wasn't another girl?" Jiya asked hopeful.

"What? No! As a matter of fact, this is the first date I've been on since we last saw each other." Rufus smiled, it wasn't a complete lie.

"You're telling me you haven't dated anyone in ten years?" Jiya was shocked, and honored.

The waiter returned to take their order.

"I'll have the All American Burger and Fries." Rufus stated.

"Um, I'll have the grilled Chicken sandwich with fries." Jiya smiled, then turned back to Rufus, "So, you're telling me you haven't dated anyone since we dated?"

"No, I haven't dated anyone else since we dated. I never stopped loving you." Rufus said softly.

Jiya jumped from the seat and threw herself into Rufus in a big bear hug, "That's the sweetest thing I've ever heard!"

Rufus laughed, wondering if she would be mad that he fringed the truth a little, "I'd like to pick up where we left off. I...don't want to lose you." he stated.

"I'd love to." She smiled, "Hey, I know you said you weren't working on the time machine project anymore, but if you ever do again...do you think you could get me on the team?"

"I could try." Rufus grinned, then was interrupted by the ringing of the phone. "Excuse me, I have to take this." he accepted the call.

"What's up Denise?" he asked, seeing her name on the caller ID.

"Flynn and his family just came to my house. Lucy's mother tried to kill them. She's a part of Rittenhouse. Emma is working with them too. They took the lifeboat to 1979 with the intent of stopping us, but arrived too late. They probably didn't return to Mason with it."

"So the only time machine we have is in that Oakland Warehouse." Rufus muttered.

"Exactly. And it might not be long before Rittenhouse figures out our hiding spot. What is your position with Mason?"

"I haven't been there yet, but my mom mentioned I worked there. I'll call Conner and see what's going on. I feel I can be honest with him."

"Keep me updated. I am currently working on Lucy's situation. I am calling in a few favors. I believe we can get her back in the system as 'Witness Protection', but we'll keep her name the same. She's been though enough changes already, she doesn't need to deal with a new name too."

"Agreed, she has been rather...emotional lately. She broke down crying when I showed her the guest room and couldn't tell me why. I never knew her to be so emotionally...unstable." Rufus stated.

"It might have something to do with her being erased from history. I don't know how these things work, but it might have caused some kind of imbalance." Agent Christopher stated.

"Yeah, I'll check on her when I get home." Rufus stated, "But first, I've got to get that time machine."

Jiya's face lit up at the word time machine as Rufus said his good-bye's to Denise.

"You guys working on the time machine project again?"

"Yeah, kinda. Listen, how do you feel about taking our food to go? I've got something to show you." Rufus grinned.

"You bet!" Jiya grinned, "What are we waiting for!"

Rufus laughed at her and was eager to see what her reaction would be, as well as what Mason's reaction would be, "Okay, tell our waiter to make it to go and give me the check. I've got one more call to make."

He dialed Conner Mason's number. This was going to be one interesting call.

"Rufus? What's up?" Mason answered.

"Do we still have the command center?" Rufus asked.

"Um, command center?" Mason asked.

"You know, the large room with all the computers in it."

"Yeah, the same place where you have been working on the possibilities of time travel? Same place where you drew up plans for the first time machine?" Mason asked.

"Yeah, about that...do we have a time machine?"

"Rufus, are you okay? Of course we don't have a time machine. We haven't secured the funding to experiment with building one yet! We can't even get our prototype started. It would take a miracle to get the funding we need. Seems as if our government doesn't believe time travel is possible."

"Mason, I can't explain, but I need you to get to Mason Industries NOW and secure any papers that might be loose."

"Do what? Why? Rufus are you drunk?" Conner rolled his eyes.

"No, I am telling you, this is very very important. I need you at Mason Industries NOW. I'll be there in thirty minutes."

"Rufus, it's late, I had a hard day, I am getting ready for bed, we will settle this in the morning."

"What if I told you I would bring you a time machine and land it in middle of the command center in thirty minutes, and it's ours."

"Rufus, if this is some sort of prank..." Conner warned.

"It's not. Trust me on this one. I'll see you in half an hour."

"Alright..." Mason sighed, tossing his dinner dish in the dishwasher and picking up his car keys.

TBC

Please remember to review if you have a few moments. I love to know

what you guys are thinking about the story so far.

A few of you have picked up on the clues...Lucy will be faced with a rather emotional situation here in the next few chapters. ;)