Chapter 2,

Flynn woke up the next morning to hushed arguing in the hallway behind him. His neck felt like it had been broken from laying on the couch all night. His front and one side was like ice and the other side was warm and toasty. He looked down to the dark head on his shoulder and leaned his head back with a slight smile. It was worth the pain and cold to know that Lucy had finally slept. Between the arm injury in Salem and what was going on with Wyatt, she had not gotten real sleep in weeks. He could see the bags forming under her eyes as each day had passed, the way her shoulders sank lower and lower. The way she would smile through the pain and exhaustion.

It felt good to know that he was finally able to get her to lower her guard enough to rest. That he was able to help her forget for long enough to rest. She sighed and pushed her nose deeper into his chest, chasing that sleep that was starting to leave her. Flynn rubbed his hand up and down her back, humming softly to her, trying to help her fall back into that deep sleep. After she settled against him once more, breathing deeply he started to listen to the conversation in the hall.

"Stop." Rufus said in a hushed whisper.

"No, what the hell Rufus." Wyatt said loudly.

"Wyatt stop. You are going to wake her up." Rufus whispered.

"Good, she shouldn't be in there with him." Wyatt said trying to push past Rufus again.

"You are being selfish Wyatt." Rufus said with his eyes closed, knowing he was starting down a path that might divide their team.

Wyatt turned to look at him with narrowed eyes, Denise and Jiya walked up next to them.

"What did you say?" Wyatt growled.

Rufus took a deep breath before looking around at all three of the team looking at him. "You are being selfish… we all are in different ways." They all looked at him and waited.

"Jiya and I." Rufus started looking at Jiya, "We have been so focused on ourselves…. in Jiya being sick, us being together. We missed how much Lucy needed us." Rufus turned to Denise, "You are so focused on the mission. On stopping Rittenhouse, you don't even register her pain. Don't get me wrong. I am glad you are, you can focus on the mission even when we can't." Then he turned to Wyatt, "You … you have Jess now. You left Lucy, you chose Jess. So, you need to leave Lucy be." Rufus said looking down.

"Lucy, she has had her entire world taken away. Her sister, her life…... her mother tried to fucking kill her. Yet through all of that she kept pushing through, she kept working and trying. She kept trying and she thought she would have us…. But we were not there, not really, when she needed us." Rufus looked over at Flynn and Lucy on the couch. "Last night I saw first hand that we were all failing her…. When I saw Flynn stand up and be there for her."

Wyatt looked like his world was ending, his face full of pain and regret and a little bit of anger. "So, you trust Flynn now?"

Rufus gave a wry grin, "I trust him to protect Lucy... .to be there for her and take care of her." Rufus shook his head, "After talking to him last night, I trust him to keep his word and to help us take down Rittenhouse.… We have come to an agreement." Rufus said with a shrug. "But most importantly, when all of us are being self-absorbed and Lucy is struggling. I know that Flynn will be there for her and she won't be alone."

Wyatt shook his head, "We will be there for her, she doesn't need him." He said harshly.

Jiya shook her head, finally understanding what Rufus was saying, "With Jess right by your side?" she asked Wyatt softly.

Wyatt's head snapped back like she had slapped him, "No…. I mean." He shook his head and closed his eyes, "Flynn is not a good man… he shot you Rufus." Wyatt said through clenched teeth

Rufus nodded, "Yes and he and I talked about that…" Rufus cut Wyatt off when he went to talk, "and it is between he and I…... just like what is going on between Lucy and Flynn…. is going to be between Flynn and Lucy." Rufus held up his hand to all of them. "I am not telling you guys to be friends or even like him. I am telling you to respect Lucy's choices. And to worry ONLY about your relationship with Flynn … whatever It may be. Hate each other, tolerate each other, whatever."

Denise nodded at him, "Understood." She said simply and walked away.

Jiya looked at Rufus, "I think I will get to know him and then decide." She said softly looking at Rufus carefully. When Rufus nodded and smiled at her, she gave his hand a squeeze and walked away.

Rufus turned to Wyatt who was standing there, chest heaving and anger rolling off of him. Rufus shook his head, "I love you man. You are my best friend…. But Lucy is my other Best friend. She is the kindest, sweetest…...most broken woman I know right now…... and you are part of the reason she is broken." Rufus sighed when he saw how much his words hurt Wyatt, but he had to finish, "But you made your choice… you chose Jess. So, leave Lucy alone so she can heal." Rufus gently bumped Wyatt's shoulder. "I am so… I really am. But I am looking out for Lucy." Rufus turned and walked into the kitchen to start coffee, and stop Wyatt incase he came in anyway. But it stayed silent as he filled the pot up.

"Thank you." Flynn said, making Rufus squeal and jump.

"What the hell man, where you ease dropping the entire time?" Rufus said putting a hand over his heart.

Flynn grinned up at him, "You guys were not exactly quiet." He said.

Rufus rolled his eyes and grabbed the first two cups out of the pot, "How did she sleep?" he asked nodding at Lucy.

Flynn smiled down at her, "All night. She is exhausted." He finished with a frown.

Rufus nodded, sipping his coffee. "I don't think the sleeping arrangements are going to work anymore. Wyatt's is with Jess every night, which means I am out and Lucy keeps giving me her room with Jiya, which means she is on that couch. We need to talk to Denise about getting her a space."

Flynn nodded, "She can have my room, I will tell Christopher."

Rufus raised an eyebrow at him, "Where are you going to sleep?"

Flynn grinned, "I mean look at this couch. It is like sleeping on a cloud in heaven." He said sarcastically.

Rufus snorted, "That thing is uncomfortable to normal sized people…. Let alone giants."

Flynn barked out a laugh that made Lucy shift and murmured. After he settled her back down he turned to Rufus, "It is sweet that you are worried about me." He watched Rufus turn and grab another cup of coffee and looked around thoughtfully. "Good amount of cream and 2 sugars." He called out.

Rufus turned at gave him a dirty look, "This is for Lucy, not for you." He said.

Flynn smirked, "I know, that is how she takes her coffee."

Rufus looked at him but said nothing as he turned and made Lucy coffee. He went to pick it up and last minuet grabbed another cup and filled it up before walking both over to Flynn. "You get black." He said daring Flynn to say anything.

Flynn grinned, "You know what they say…once you go black, you don't go back."

Rufus rolled his eyes again setting Lucy's cup on the table in front of them, "Ha ha." He said with sarcasm. He walked back over and grabbed the two cups he had poured first for him and Jiya. "See you at the morning meeting." He said walking out of the room.

Flynn carefully sipped the coffee, it was bitter and honestly maybe the worse he had ever had. But it was another olive branch between he and Rufus. He would take it, drink it and be grateful for it.

Lucy shifted and again, muttering under her breath. On instinct Flynn ran his hand up and down her back again, soothing her back into rest. Flynn heard the fall of foot steps behind him knew instantly who it was.

"Wyatt." Flynn said before taking another sip of his coffee. Flynn watched Wyatt come around the corner to stand in front him, "How can I help you?" he asked with a smirk.

Wyatt just looked at Lucy, pain and longing in his eyes. The he turned to look at Flynn, and it faded into anger and resentment. "I know what you are up to." Wyatt growled nastily.

Flynn raised an eyebrow, "And what, pray tell, is that?" he asked.