A/N: You guys are fantastic! Thank you so, so much for all your reviews and tweets! I was terrified of posting this story, because I know it's a completely different beat from my usual lyatt fics. But I'm glad you're all on board with this!

This chapter has not been beta'd, so please forgive any mistakes and typos. And let me know what you think!

ii.

Sneaking out of the bunker had been easier than she had originally thought. At first, she didn't think she would be able to do it and had almost resigned herself to the fact that, unless she could convince Agent Christopher, she wouldn't be able to get anywhere near Benjamin Cahill's house.

This new bunker had an alarm system just like the old one and they weren't exactly free to go wherever they wanted. Just like in the other one, their way out was the Lifeboat and that was obviously not an option. So she had started to formulate a plan, but stumbled upon the issue of actually getting out of this hell hole. Feeling stumped, she sighed and tried to distract herself. Maybe she was overreacting and there was no need to be this desperate. Maybe he would be okay and this was all in her head.

She was dozing off when Jiya shook her shoulder gently.

"Hey," her friend sat down next to her and handed her a tablet. "There's something you should see."

Lucy took the tablet from her and stared at the frozen footage of a security camera. Jessica was at Cahill's house again, apparently knocking on the front door.

"This was about half an hour ago." Jiya said quietly. "I don't know what she's trying to accomplish, but he's your brother and I thought you should know." The techie squeezed her hand in support and Lucy let out a breath that she hadn't even realized she'd been holding.

Jiya offered a small sympathetic smile and stood up.

"I don't know what to do, Jiya." She confessed, and Jiya sat back down, facing her. "I feel like I'm supposed to help him, but my hands are tied." She rubbed her hand over her face and let out a sigh. "I feel awful for not even remembering he existed until you showed me that footage earlier. How could I have forgotten about this, you know?"

"Hey, you've been through a lot, Lucy." Jiya reassured her and took her hand again. "You can't blame yourself for not remembering him when you don't even really know him. After everything you've been through since this time travel madness started… I don't even know how you do it."

Lucy shrugged and offered a wry smile in response.

"It's like Wyatt always says. One problem at a time." She explained and Jiya chuckled. "Keep me posted on him? I'll try to talk to Denise again. There must be something we can do."

Jiya reassured her she would and stood up again. Lucy watched her as she made her way to the kitchen, where Rufus seemed to be throwing a sandwich together, and hugged him from behind. She didn't remember Rufus' death, but she knew what had happened. They all did. Their future selves were adamant that everyone should know, so that something like this would never happen again.

Losing Rufus had been the proverbial nail in her coffin. She had no idea how her future self managed to go through five years without him, because right now it seemed unfathomable. Rufus was the glue that kept them all together. Just the memory of his lifeless body made her heart ache, and she wished more than anything that she could forget. Sometimes she wished she had never gotten mixed up with this time travel thing at all.

Amy would still be here. She would still be a professor at Stanford. Life would be normal.

But then she looked at her team, her family, and she knew she would never be able to do anything differently. This was too important. Stopping Rittenhouse was way too important and she would fight them until her last breath. Which meant that she most definitely needed to keep her brother away from this mess.

With a new resolve, she stood up and made her way to her room. She had an idea. This bunker was very similar to their old one, and the room she was in just happened to have an air vent. What if… what if it led outside, like the one young JFK had escaped through?

Once in her room, she examined the small opening in the wall. It was a tight fit. She was sure she could fit in there, but could she do it? Would her claustrophobia get the best of her?

Lucy watched that hole in the wall for the better part of an hour, trying to decide what to do. In the end, she took a deep breath, grabbed a jacket, her phone and a purse, and crawled inside the vent.

The whole experience was nerve-wracking, but she kept Harry Houdini's words at the the forefront of her mind the entire time. Fear isn't real. All she had to do was escape.

The night air hit her like a balm. The sky was littered with bright stars and she took a moment to collect herself. Feeling her heart rate returning to normal, she took out her phone and checked her location, trying to determine which direction she should go. The spring air was chillier than usual and Lucy pulled her jacket in tighter around herself.

Finally figuring out a direction, she started walking. She knew the team would notice she wasn't there sooner or later, but she definitely needed this head start. Checking her phone again, she realized she would have to walk at least a couple of miles to find some sort of civilization. The nearest place was a gas station and she figured she could call for a Lyft or an Uber once she got there.

Lucy knew she would be in a world of trouble when she returned to the bunker later, but this was just something she had to do. She would never forgive herself if something happened to Tyler. Something that maybe she could prevent.

It took her almost an hour to get to the gas station, but she used that time to think about what she could actually do once she saw Tyler. For all intents and purposes, the kid didn't even know she existed, but she wouldn't let that stop her. She would calmly talk to him and his mother and warn them that Jessica and Emma were very dangerous. And that they should probably go into hiding or hire private security.

That was the least she could do. Warn them that Rittenhouse meant them harm and were not to be trusted. It wasn't like she could bring them to the bunker - she knew Agent Christopher would have her head - but maybe she could convince Denise to put them in protective custody or something?

Walking into the gas station, she checked her phone again, trying to formulate a game plan. She hoped her credit card was still active, so she could call for a ride into San Francisco. She knew the bunker was roughly an hour away from the city, so she still had a ways to go. Calling for a Lyft, she sighed when the app said the car would be at least thirty minutes.

Not having any other choice but to wait, she got a cup of coffee and sat down at the lonely table at the corner.

His heart slammed against his ribcage as he ran back to the common room. She couldn't have done it. She couldn't. She was claustrophobic; there was no way she would crawl through that tiny air vent. No way. She just had to be here somewhere. Maybe she was in the bathroom or something.

Rufus looked up when he stormed into their common area.

"What the hell, man? You look like you've just seen a ghost." The pilot asked concerned, but Wyatt shook his head and quickly scanned the area. Jiya and Mason were setting up the table and Flynn was sitting in front of the TV. "Wyatt. Seriously, dude, what happened?"

"Lucy isn't in her room." He breathed, running his hand through his hair. "Have you seen her?" He asked, but didn't wait for a reply, already making his way to the bathroom. "Lucy!"

He could hear Rufus' footsteps following him, but his mind was on a one-way track, and that was finding Lucy. He knocked on the bathroom door and called her name again. When there was no reply, he swung the door open but was met only with silence and darkness.

"Hey, what the hell happened? Where is she?" His friend asked and Wyatt turned to him, taking a deep breath. He needed to stay calm. Wherever she'd gone, she couldn't have gone far. "Wyatt, what's going on?" Rufus asked again when he still didn't reply.

"I went to her room to get her up for dinner and she wasn't there. The air vent was open." He explained quickly, trying to think. "I know where she went. I need to go after her."

Wyatt walked past Rufus and made his way to his room, quickly checking his gun and pocketing his wallet. Grabbing a jacket from a hanger, he blew past Rufus again, just as his friend had made it to his door.

"Dude, wait. Just breathe for a second. How the hell are you even going to get out of here?" The pilot asked, running to catch up with him. "You sure as hell won't fit into an air vent and I'm pretty sure we're locked in here."

"Jiya. Agent Christopher set her up with all access codes in case of an emergency." He said over his shoulder, as he put his jacket on. "Jiya," he called, walking into the kitchen. "I need to leave. Lucy is missing."

"What the hell do you mean, she's missing?" Jiya exclaimed and then closed her eyes, covering them with her hands. "Oh, damn it."

"What?" Wyatt touched her arm, making her look at him. "Jiya, what do you know?"

"I didn't think she would actually do something like this." She sighed and walked over to the computers, punching a few keys to pull up an image. "I told her I'd keep her updated on her brother and I caught some footage of Jessica stalking the house again earlier today."

Wyatt watched the video of Jessica and some guy at the Cahill's front door. They seemed to be ringing a doorbell pretty insistently.

"Lucy saw this?" He questioned the techie and she nodded. "Goddamn it." He shook his head and steeled himself for another mission. "I need to go after her. I can't believe she did this." He mumbled the last part to himself and let out a heavy sigh.

"How are you even getting out of here? We're kind of in the middle of nowhere, remember?" Rufus pointed out and he snorted. "What, it's not like we have a car."

"Same way she did. I'll walk." He checked his gun once again and holstered it. "What's the nearest place to this hell hole?" He asked Jiya and she pulled up a map.

"A gas station. This almost feels like a deja vu thing, you know." Jiya laughed quietly, shaking her head. "There's an old parking lot about a mile after that gas station. Agent Christopher left a car there. For emergencies." She added when he raised an eyebrow in question. "I'll go get the keys."

"Do you want me to go with you?" Rufus asked, but Wyatt said no. "You might need backup, man. At least take Flynn with you."

"It's fine. I'll just find her and bring her home." He shrugged, accepting the keys when Jiya threw them in his direction. "Text me the car info?" he asked her and she nodded.

"You got it. And, Wyatt?" Jiya called out when he started to make his way to the bunker exit. "Bring her home safe, alright?"

He offered her a small smile and a nod.

"Please be careful," Rufus ran after him and clapped his back when he opened the door. "Don't do anything stupid, man. Just bring Lucy back."

"I'll keep you guys posted." He promised and climbed up the stairs and into the night air.

Her Lyft was two minutes away when Lucy stepped out of the convenience store. Drinking the rest of her now lukewarm coffee, she threw the cup in the trash and leaned against the wall to wait for the car.

Now that she was about to go, the butterflies in her stomach were rioting. She had to do this, though. She had to at least try to protect him. She couldn't allow Rittenhouse to ruin someone else's life.

Lucy pushed herself off the wall when she saw a car pulling up, and was about to climb in when she heard his voice.

"Lucy!" Wyatt's voice reached her ears and she closed her eyes. Damn it. "God, Lucy," He reached her and his warm palm on her arm made her turn around to face him instinctively. "What the hell were you thinking? You scared me half to death."

He pulled her into a hug and Lucy let out a sigh, allowing herself to fall into his arms, if only for a moment. Pretend that the world was right and good and that they weren't this fractured version of a soldier and a historian who were broken beyond repair. She wrapped her arms around him and held him tightly. Right at that moment, especially when he tightened his arms around her, she felt almost okay.

Almost.

"I have to do something, Wyatt. Jessica was there again today. I have to warn them, get them out of there, I don't know. Anything." Her voice came out hard and fast and she could hear the desperation in her tone. How had she become this broken, desperate person? "He's the only family I have left. I can't let anything happen to him."

"Ma'am, are you ready?" The driver interrupted, before Wyatt could say anything.

"Yes, just give me a moment." She smiled at the driver, but Wyatt was having none of it. "Wyatt, you're not stopping me. I'm going."

"Hey, listen. I'll take you there myself. Here," he pulled a pair of keys out of his jacket pocket and showed them to her. "Jiya gave me the keys to our emergency get away car. No, I didn't know anything about it either." He smiled that infuriating half smile she loved so much and she rolled her eyes. "I know this is important to you. I promise I'll take you there."

"Ma'am, is everything alright? Do you need help?" The driver asked again, looking suspiciously at Wyatt.

Lucy felt him taking her hand and putting the keys in it, before closing her fingers over it. She watched as his fingers closed over hers, his thumb running gently over her skin. Looking up, she met his eyes and saw nothing but honesty and affection in his bottomless blues.

"Yeah, it's fine. I'm going to have to cancel, though. Sorry for making you drive all the way out here." She smiled sheepishly at the driver, who shrugged and warned her that she would be charged anyway.

She nodded and the driver left. Turning to Wyatt, she realized he still held her hand.

"Now what?"

A/N: Let me know what you think?