Lucy stared open mouthed at an equally stunned Wyatt as the echoes of Jiya's staggering assertion pommeled through her like a gunshot. She was desperately trying to wrap her brain around the absolutely ludicrous idea that she and Wyatt were anythingother than what they were – co-workers – co-workers who had, by the way, only known each other for a few days - when Rufus roared with laughter.
"Oh my God." he cracked, smacking his hands together in relieved delight, "This is hilarious. Of all the people you could have ended up with," he said to Lucy with a jeer, "you got landed with Wyatt." Guffawing he shook his head, "Guess Judith Campbell was actually onto something tonight, right?"
At the mention of her name, Wyatt jerked his hand from Lucy's, as if suddenly coming to his senses. Turning with an angry scowl to Rufus, he snarled, "Will you shut the hell up? This isn't a damn joke. Why the hell would I be engaged to Lucy? I mean," he continued after Lucy stopped dead in her tracks and glared at him, "we hardly know each other."
"Maybe in your timeline," Jiya mused as she pulled out her phone and began flipping through pictures, "but in mine?" Turning her screen around, Jiya offered up a photo from what was undeniably their first day at Mason. Lucy immediately recognized her historically inaccurate getup from the Hindenburg mission and there was no mistaking Wyatt in that fedora. It was definitely them…but it was not them – not them them, anyway. That first day they had barely been civil to one another. Wyatt had driven her up the proverbial wall with his "ma'am's" and his reckless, self-assured behavior…and she was pretty sure that he was just as annoyed and put off with what she imagined he perceived as uptight, anxious behavior. But really, who could blame her for being anxious? They were about to travel through time…and okay, maybe her concern over the underwire bra was a little unfounded, considering it had saved their lives…and maybe Wyatt wasn't wrong for bringing his gun to 1937 but still…he had been kind of a jerk about it all.
In this photo, though? No one would have ever guessed that they had been practically at each other's throats the entire mission. In this photo, they were wrapped around one another at the entrance of the Lifeboat – Wyatt, planting a kiss to Lucy's cheek as she hugged him to her with a beaming smile.
"See what I mean?" Jiya retorted with satisfaction, "Cute."
Stunned, Lucy gaped from the phone to Wyatt, who was staring at her with the same dumbfounded expression he had worn before. "No…" he stammered anxiously, his frustration and anger clearly rising, "No…it's not possible, dammit. I don't even know her." He scowled at Jiya as if she were somehow responsible for this development, "We…we didn't even know each other then…we just met that day."
"Not in this timeline…"
"Dammit, Jiya." Wyatt snapped, "I'm telling you it's not possible. I'm married, alright? I already have a wife."
"Nice try." Jiya dismissed, but one look at Wyatt had her realizing he was being deadly serious. "Wait…are you telling me…you're actually married to someone else in this time…." she stopped, seeing Lucy's sudden look of surprise before narrowing her eyes in confusion, "wait…is it Jessica? Are you talking about Jessica?" At Wyatt's nod, she let out a relieved snort, "Hate to break it to you, Wyatt," she explained, "you're divorced."
"Divor…" Wyatt blanched in horror, "No, no…why would we…no. I don't believe it." Jiya made to argue with him, but he cut her off with a shout, "Dammit, I just saved her life and now you're telling me we're not even married?"
"Wait," Lucy interrupted, finally finding her voice again, "Jessica's alive?" As Wyatt nodded, she startled backwards, "You mean…it worked?" She gasped, "The telegram…she…she got it?"
Wyatt shrugged, "Must have…how else can you explain why…" he rubbed a rough hand through his hair as he began pacing in agitation, "but if she's alive…why the hell am I engaged to you?" Shaking his head in a near panic, Wyatt, looking terrified, backed away from the huddled group, "No…I have to see her. I have to see Jessica…I have to see my wife."
"Ex-wife" Jiya piped up.
"I don't give a damn what you say," Wyatt snapped at her, "she's still my wife."
"Wait a minute, wait a minute," Lucy began, "Wyatt is right…if Jessica is alive…why would we be…how would we even…I mean, we never…"
"Exactly." Wyatt finished for her, rounding on Jiya, "I love Jessica…always have. Why the hell would I be engaged to someone else? Especially since I never laid eyes on Lucy until we both got pulled in here for this mission?"
"Hey," Jiya dismissed defensively, raising her hands in mock surrender, "don't shoot the messenger, okay? I'm just telling you the facts…and the fact is…in this timeline? You're head over heels for Lucy."
"Dammit, Jiya…stop saying that!"
"Is there a problem here?" Agent Christopher's quiet, yet commanding voice cut through the tension like a knife. She warily eyed an obviously agitated Wyatt and equally concerned looking Lucy.
"Hell yes, there's a problem." Wyatt snapped, "My wife is alive and now I'm what? Engaged to Lucy? How does that even work? We only met each other a few days ago."
"I'm afraid I don't understand you," Agent Christopher replied in confusion, "Are you saying you and Ms. Preston are not engaged?"
"No ma'am, we're not." Wyatt answered firmly and succinctly., taking care to cast a meaningful glare towards Jiya who subsequently rolled her eyes.
"I know it sounds crazy," Lucy added, "but Wyatt is right. We barely know each other…we only met…what? 72 hours ago?"
"What are you saying? Agent Christopher asked, her eyes darting between the two of them, "are you saying something in the timeline has changed?"
"That's the understatement of the year." Wyatt muttered as he rolled his eyes. Both he and Lucy stood away from each other; both pacing the floor casting uncomfortable glances towards one another.
With a thoughtful frown, Agent Christopher considered the two of them for a moment before nodding, "Right then…Mr. Carlin, I would like you to get Connor. You two," she said turning once more to Wyatt and Lucy, "get changed and meet us in the conference room in 20 minutes. We'll see if we can figure this out."
The much sought-after shower might have washed the stench of 1962 Vegas from her skin and hair, but inside? Lucy was an impenetrable mess. Nothing, except maybe a few sessions with a good psychiatrist, would be able to sort out the chaotic maelstrom currently taking space in her overwrought brain.
She was engaged…to Wyatt.
How?
It made no sense…even less so since in this timeline, Jessica was alive. Wyatt had saved her. He had actually saved her with that heart wrenching telegram. In all honesty, Lucy hadn't believed it would work. A telegram from the past to warn about the future? Who would even believe such a thing? Certainly not her…but Jessica apparently had. Yet even though it had saved her…had done its job and brought her back to Wyatt…it hadn't. Wyatt had managed to resurrect his wife only to find out that despite all of his efforts, she was lost to him…again.
Or was she?
Lucy had no doubt that Wyatt would fight for her, would do everything in his power to get her back…and really, could she blame him? No. She knew how he felt about his wife and as frustrating as it was for her to come back to yet another timeline with yet another fiancé, Lucy considered that for Wyatt, this development had to feel like a proverbial punch to the gut. To save his wife only to find himself engaged to someone else? And not just someone else…to her…the co-worker he barely knew and well, if she was being quite honest, probably didn't like very much?
Of course, Wyatt would fight for his wife. It wasn't even a question.
The bigger issue for her was that once again, her reality had changed. One more trip in the time machine had somehow screwed up her past…again. How had she and Wyatt even met? Where on Earth had they met if not here? Was there ever going to be a time when stepping into that damn Lifeboat wouldn't cause some ripple effect in her life? Well, Lucy thought to herself as she slid into her jeans, at least this time I'm not the only one to come back to a totally different reality. As she pulled on her sweater, however, she found herself trembling so much she had to sit down. Her heart pounded, her hands shook fiercely, the walls were closing in - suffocating her, her breathing was becoming shallow and rushed…she…she couldn't catch her breath…she was drowning…
"Hey."
Jiya's voice startled Lucy back to her senses, the engineer's comforting hand squeezing her arm grounding her momentarily back to the locker room of Mason Industries. Swallowing hard as she blinked back the tears that had begun to pool in her eyes, Lucy offered the young engineer a slight smile as she replied in a quavering voice, "Hey."
"You okay?"
Lucy felt her face flush at the question. She didn't like to lose control, didn't like to feel so helpless in the face of a challenge. She had been raised to rise to them, to beat the odds, to stand on her own two feet…but her well planned life was now spiraling out of control and she, right along with it. She didn't know who she was anymore. Her life, her past was not one she recognized…and the mere thought of it changing more and more as these missions wore on was enough to set her panicking.
Desperate to appear like she still had some semblance of control, Lucy shrugged and sighed, "I'm gonna be. It's just…right now…everything is so…" Lucy trailed off, biting her lip as if she was thinking better of admitting that all of this was getting to her. "I'm going to be fine. I am fine." she reiterated meaningfully, "It's…it's just part of the job, right?"
"You know," Jiya offered gently, "it's okay to not be okay. You've…you've gone through a lot in the past few days…that's gotta take a toll."
Lucy eyed her uncomfortably and shrugged again, "Yeah, well…it's going to be fixed, right? We're going to fix it. I mean, I'm already not engaged to Noah anymore," she joked with a nervous laugh, "so that's onebonus." Jiya, however didn't laugh. Instead, she frowned at Lucy, her expressive eyes wordlessly communicating the depths of her concern. Nothing this, Lucy sighed. "Really, Jiya…I'm fine. I promise, I just…it's been a long day…a long couple of days," she reiterated, attempting to put both herself and the young engineer at ease, "but we're going to figure this all out and then, everything will be back to normal."
"But…what if it isn't?" Jiya called to her as Lucy made her way to the locker room door.
At the suggestion that nothing would ever be normal in her life again, Lucy stopped abruptly, her traitorous hands shaking even as she reached for the door handle. It was her greatest fear in all of this…that her sister would never be restored, her father gone forever…that every trip in the time machine would result in some other life altering event for her until the reality she once knew was completely lost somewhere in a never-ending space-time continuum loop.
Unable to find the courage to vocalize a response, Lucy merely cast a wary glance over her shoulder and left the dressing room, unsteadily making her way towards the conference room as she desperately sought to keep her anxiety level in check.
Though it seemed to rise with every step she took.
With her wobbly knees making her usual clumsiness all the more profound, Lucy stumbled into the conference room, tripping first on the door stop and then again on the leg of a chair next to the wall. She wouldn't have been nearly as mortified by her ungainly entrance if the conference room had been empty…or had at least had only contained Agent Christopher or even Connor Mason. But no, it was Wyatt, unfortunately…and Wyatt alone who witnessed her tripping over everything, including her own two feet, as she made her way through the door.
Flushing with embarrassment, Lucy stiffened awkwardly and took a seat several chairs away from him as she sniffed out, "Hi."
Wyatt didn't respond. Instead, he merely rolled his eyes and resumed drumming his fingers impatiently on the conference room table. He had changed…probably had done in record time. Lucy mused, from his impatient demeanor. He looked trapped…agitated…even more so than he had earlier…and while she understood it and sympathized with him, his attitude was doing nothing to calm her own overwrought nerves. She had only been seated a moment before Wyatt pushed away from the table with a huff of exasperation and began pacing…occasionally throwing accusatory glances Lucy's way as if this latest development was somehow her fault.
"Look, Wyatt." she finally gritted out, "I understand you're upset about this…but this isn't exactly easy for me either. I mean," she added with a huff, "you're the second fiancé I've had in two days."
Wyatt glared at her, his severe eye driving home his sentiments before he even uttered them. "I'm not your fiancé." he spat out angrily.
Undeterred and undaunted by his cold demeanor, Lucy rolled her eyes in exasperation, "Of course, you aren't. And believe me," she assured, "if I had loved Noah, I'd probably be as upset as you are right now."
Coming to a dead stop, Wyatt gaped at her incredulously, "You're not upset?"
"About this? Well…no…because it's you." she said, before her cheeks flushed red from the insinuation. Switching gears, she stammered, "I…I mean, at least I know you." Letting out a nervous laugh, she added, "That's definitely a step up for me, right?"
Wyatt hung his head down and let out a slight chuckle, "I guess I owe you ten bucks…"
Lucy smiled, grateful that he seemed to be relaxing a bit. "Honestly Wyatt, my life has been so upended since we started all of this…I'm just so relieved it's you…with Noah it was so awkward. I mean, can you imagine walking in on your own engagement party without the faintest idea of what your fiancé looks like?" She shook her head and sighed, "At least we both know…this…this isn't real."
At those words, Wyatt visibly relaxed, letting out the breath he seemed to have been holding since Jiya's stunning revelation. As if suddenly remembering that Lucy understood, he smirked at her and nodded, retaking his seat with a sigh. "Yeah…yeah…I guess you're right." he chuckled almost to himself, "Better it be you than some stranger, I guess."
Lucy smiled. "Yes. Take it from someone who knows what it is to try to explain to their half naked fiancé on the night of their engagement party that they would much rather sleep on the couch." she offered meaningfully, "This? This is so much better."
Impishly grinning at her now, Wyatt quirked his lip and shook his head, "Poor bastard."
"Yes," Lucy sighed, "well, at least that's one good thing to come out of all of this…it spares me the awkward breakup."
"What, was he a total jerk or something?"
"No," Lucy shrugged, "that's just it. He was really nice…but…how do you stay engaged to someone you don't even know?" She shook her head, "That entire party I just stood there standing next to a complete stranger who," she scoffed, "I'm supposed to be in love with and I didn't even know his name." Frowning, she twisted her fingers in her lap as she muttered almost to herself, "I don't even know how we met…or how he proposed…or anything…and now, well…it doesn't matter. He's gone."
Wyatt eyed her warily. "I thought you said you were relieved?"
"I am." she assured him as she shifted in her chair uncomfortably, "I just…I don't know…it just feels weird to be free of someone who you didn't want to be connected to in the first place…but didn't even break up with. I don't know…I just feel like…I owe him an explanation or something." She covered her face with her hands and breathed out in frustration, "Ugh, this is crazy…."
Wyatt looked like he was about to respond when Mason breezed through the door, hardly even looking at the two of them as she called out, "So I understand we have a bit of a hiccup?" Mason stopped in front of the chair across from Wyatt and was soon followed by a morose looking Agent Christopher who stopped behind the chair directly across the table from Lucy. "This is fascinating…simply fascinating." Mason exclaimed as he took his seat, looking at them both in awe. "So, you two never met before working here?"
Wyatt and Lucy exchanged looks and shook their heads in the negative, each of them looking as tense as they had been before.
"So," Mason pressed on, "you say your ex-wife…Jessica is it? Is supposed to be dead?"
"Yeah." Wyatt acknowledged before correcting with some annoyance, "and there's no "ex" – Jessica is my wife. I don't know why the hell we would have gotten divorced."
"Hmmmm" Mason mused as he opened Wyatt's personnel file. "According to your divorce records it was 'irreconcilable differences'…and that was nearly four years ago."
"She died five years ago." Wyatt shot back.
"Yes, well…that seems pretty irreconcilable, doesn't it?" Mason replied in an attempt at levity. Wyatt, however, was not amused. Clearing his throat, Mason resumed, "Well, in any case it appears you went your separate ways around that time, filed for divorce a few months later…and it was finalized the next year."
Agent Christopher eyed Wyatt curiously as she asked, "You both weren't having any trouble before she died?"
Wyatt swallowed hard, but didn't answer. Instead, he shifted uncomfortably in his seat and folded his arms across his chest.
"What was the nature of her death?" Agent Christopher pressed.
Again, Wyatt shifted uncomfortably, casting a sidelong glance towards Lucy as he muttered softly, "She was killed…murdered." He let out an anguished sigh, blinking back tears as he added, "They never found out who did it."
A fresh wave of pity washed over Lucy as she gazed at Wyatt, agitated and flushed. She knew when he had confided in her in that New Jersey cell he had been embarrassed by his openness with her. She never did understand why, in that moment, he had chosen to confide in her…from everything she had gathered about him, he was intensely private…and what could be more private than this? His wife was murdered. An unsolved murder at that. No wonder he wanted to fix this. Who wouldn't? After overhearing what he had said in his telegram and knowing that he considered her death his fault…Lucy couldn't even imagine how utterly devastating it must be for him to save her…only to have her snatched away from him again.
"Oh Wyatt…" she began, but he quickly shook his head, brushing away her offer of sympathy.
"Murdered, you say?" Mason mused. "When was that exactly?"
"Look," Lucy piped up, in an attempt to get the focus off of Wyatt so he could compose himself, "I don't think we need to go into the particulars of how Wyatt's wife died…it's hardly relevant to the fact that we're now…somehow…engaged."
"What was your relationship status before this change?" Agent Christopher asked her pointedly.
"Me?" Lucy gaped, "Well, I…single." she uttered, but Wyatt snorted beside her, offering her a meaningful glance. "Oh…come on," she groaned at Wyatt as she rolled her eyes, "that hardly counts…and it probably wasn't the same in this timeline anyway."
"What?" Agent Christopher asked.
"it's nothing," Lucy replied, "I was just…I was engaged…before…"
"She didn't even know his last name." Wyatt explained for her, trying but failing to hide a smirk.
"There wasn't time." Lucy spat out in annoyance. "We came back from the Hindenburg and I didn't have a sister. We came from Lincoln and I'm crashing my own engagement party…"
Connor raised his eyebrows, "So…this has happened to you before?"
"Yes. Well to me." Lucy spat out in annoyance. "I didn't ask for this job…you came to me. And ever since I stepped foot in that time machine," she continued with a quavering voice, "I've lost my father, my sister…and have been engaged…twice."
"I can only imagine, Ms. Preston, how hard this must be for you…" Agent Christopher tried to console, but Lucy shook her head.
"No, no you can't. You have no idea what it is to live in a world where no one remembers your sister but you. You have no idea what it is to walk into your own engagement party and not know who the hell it is you're supposed to marrying."
"Well, you know now…" Connor offered pointing at Wyatt, attempting levity again – but once again, neither Lucy nor Wyatt laughed.
"I think," Agent Christopher began, eyeing the two of them curiously, "that we should start at the beginning. Wyatt, you say in your reality you wife was killed five years ago." Wyatt nodded in affirmation as she continued, "And your relationship with Ms. Preston…what was that like?"
"Non-existent." Wyatt replied, again eliciting a strange expression on both Connor and Agent Christopher's faces. "We work together," he explained further, "that's it."
"You didn't meet at all before this? Didn't know each other…in any capacity?"
Wyatt exchanged a confused look with Lucy and shook his head, "No, ma'am. We never met before we showed up here for that first mission."
"Well that's just it." Agent Christopher explained with a heavy sigh. "Your relationship with Lucy is what prompted us to bring you onto the team in the first place. If you didn't know each other, then how…"
Wyatt stared back at her as if she had slapped him. "You requested me, ma'am." he answered in confusion.
"I did?"
"Y…yes." Lucy answered, uncomfortably, casting a sidelong glance towards Wyatt. "I was brought in because…well, I'm still not sure why…I was just a teacher, but Wyatt," she argued, "he had a reputation. You wanted the best of the best…and well, he's it."
"I see." she mused as she exchanged a look with Connor. "While I do not deny Master Sergeant Logan's stellar reputation," she conceded slowly, "in our timeline he was not on our original radar as he had recently requested that he not be considered for missions that were overly risky…given his recent engagement…to you." she said with a nod towards Lucy.
Connor nodded in agreement, adding, "Of course, once we realized the connection, it seemed only natural for the two of you to work together…ideal, even…given the nature of the mission." Wyatt and Lucy exchanged looks as he continued, "In any case, Ms. Preston adamantly refused to even agree to these missions without you," he said to Wyatt, "and the rest, as they say…is history."
"Wait a minute…wait a minute," Wyatt interjected, confused. "How in the hell were we engaged? I never laid eyes on Lucy until we walked in that door."
Opening up their personnel files with a sigh, Agent Christopher frowned, "I'm afraid I don't know every particular about your relationship prior to your employment here. What I do know comes from your initial interview, your security clearance paperwork…and of course," she said with a smile, "polite discourse." Sliding their open files across the table to each of them respectively, she continued, "You both met a little over a year ago after Lucy attended a conference of some sort in San Diego…at the University of California, I believe."
"The UCSD symposium?" Lucy gasped, sitting up in her chair, looking alarmed as she pulled her folder towards her.
"You know it?" Mason pressed, intrigued.
Lucy gaped awkwardly as every eye in the room turned to her. "Well…yes…I went, but…but I didn't meet Wyatt." Shaking her head, she explained, "My…my mother was supposed to go, but she had just received her cancer diagnosis and was starting chemotherapy that week. I…I wasn't going to go at all, but…but…she said driving down the coast would be a good distraction for me."
"A distraction, you say?" Mason said, once again eyeing Wyatt. "Are you certain you didn't…"
"No." Lucy said adamantly. "There wasn't time to socialize…I mean, apart from my colleagues at the university…but Wyatt wouldn't have…I mean, no offense," she said with an apologetic look towards Wyatt, "but I don't think he would have been hanging around a historical symposium even if he was in San Diego."
"You got that right." Wyatt muttered.
"So how…"Lucy shrugged, "it doesn't make any sense."
"According to my notes," Agent Christopher said as she perused her own personal notebook, "you, Ms. Preston were headed back to San Francisco when your car broke down. I'm not sure what was wrong," she began, anticipating Lucy's next question, "but, apparently, Wyatt stopped and offered you assistance."
All eyes turned to Wyatt, who shifted uncomfortably under the scrutiny. "Never happened." He said curtly, "and even if I did stop to help her with her car…that still doesn't explain…"
"On the contrary, Master Sergeant Logan, it does." Agent Christopher interjected, "I'm not clear on the reasoning, but you offered her a ride to San Francisco…and evidently she accepted."
"What?!" Lucy exclaimed, nearly falling off of her chair. "No…no…get in a car with a complete stranger? I would never…no."
"You said it." Wyatt agreed with a nod, "Stop to help someone with their car? Maybe. But offering to drive them 8 hours up the damn coast? No way in hell. First off, I'm not a creep." he said frankly, "and secondly, well, I make it a point not to pick up women off the side of the road. Believe it or not, that kind of thing is frowned upon in the military."
"Be that as it may, Wyatt," Agent Christopher remarked as Lucy cast him a withering glare, "For some reason you did…and Ms. Preston, apparently trusted you enough to agree to it."
"I couldn't have." Lucy argued, "I don't hitchhike… and I wouldn't have anyway because I wasn't alone on that trip." As all eyes turned to her in confusion again, Lucy explained in a quavering voice, "Amy. I went with Amy."
"Amy?" Connor asked in confusion, "Who is Amy?"
"Her sister." Wyatt answered for her as Lucy covered her face with her hands. "She disappeared after we got back from the Hindenburg."
"I don't see a sister listed on your security paperwork," Agent Christopher began.
"I guess you wouldn't." Lucy sniffed, wiping away a few tears. "She's still gone….so in this timeline, she doesn't exist either. I guess in this timeline I went to the symposium…but I went alone."
"So …you were already in a different timeline than what you started?" Agent Christopher asked, referring to her notes again, "The Hindenburg Mission, you say….
"Yes." Lucy sniffed. "We came back from 1937 and…things were different…well for me, anyway. My sister was gone…my mother wasn't sick anymore…and...I was engaged to a man I had never met before."
"Was it Dr. Noah Carmichael?, by chance?" Agent Christopher asked as she looked through her notes.
Lucy exchanged an alarmed look of confusion with Wyatt as she sat up in her chair, "I…he was a doctor, yes…" she said as Wyatt reiterated that she didn't know his last name.
"Mmmm…" Agent Christopher mused, "good friend of your mothers…works at UCSF…"
"Yes…that's…that's him." Lucy replied in confusion before asking anxiously, "How…how do you know about Noah?" She looked at Wyatt, "I mean, if I'm engaged to…"
"On your security paperwork," Agent Christopher replied as she read through Lucy's file, "Yes…right here…he is listed as a contact." she pointed out with the tip of her pen, "you had lived with him from late 2014 to 2015…"
Mason rolled his chair next to Agent Christopher, looking over her shoulder, "Oh…at the Nema…very nice. You know, that building is owned by a dear friend of mine…"
"I…I don't understand." Lucy stammered, shaking her head. "How…could I…". she looked once more towards Wyatt, "if…if Wyatt and I…"
Agent Christopher continued, "Yes, well it appears that…well, you lived with Dr. Noah Carmichael here in San Francisco until August 2015…and began living with Master Sergeant Logan in San Diego…also in August 2015."
"Wait a minute," Lucy gasped, rising from her chair and snatching her personnel file away from Agent Christopher. "Are you…are you saying that…?
"It appears that meeting Master Sergeant Logan changed a few things in your personal life, Ms. Preston." Agent Christopher answered for her.
Lucy blanched and sank in her chair as Wyatt balked, his face absolutely flushed, "What the hell are you saying?" he demanded. "Are you suggesting that Lucy and I…"
"Had a good time?" Mason offered as he began typing away on his computer. "Yes, it appears you did…"
"Bullshit." Wyatt spat out angrily. "There's no way in hell I would mess around with somebody else's girlfriend."
"Oh, but she wasn't someone else's girlfriend." Mason contended with a smile, turning his laptop towards the two of them. "It seems you were…as you say, "messing around" with someone else's fiancé. Ms. Preston and Dr. Carmichael had an engagement party scheduled for August 22 at the Fairmont…."
Horrified, Lucy gaped first at the computer screen and then to Wyatt who had gone deathly pale. Shaking her head, she dismissed any possibility that she and Wyatt had…"No, no…I would never" she maintained. "How…why…why would I even…I mean, if I was engaged…"
"Well, that is the question, isn't it?" Mason mused, turning the laptop back towards himself and clicking though the search results, "it appears you rescheduled…one, two…three times before this..."
"Who the hell cancels their engagement party three times?" Wyatt asked incredulously.
"Four times." Mason reminded him with a chuckle, pointing towards Lucy's personnel file, "Given the abrupt change in Ms. Preston's living situation, I can hardly believe this one went off without…shall we say… a hitch."
"Oh God." Lucy moaned as she buried her face in her hands. She could almost feel Wyatt's eyes boring into her, judging her…because he was right…who the hell does cancel their engagement party three times? "Are you saying," Lucy mumbled through her hands, "that I was engaged to Noah when I met Wyatt?"
"It appears so." Agent Christopher said, a touch of gentleness in her voice. "When was that conference in San Diego?"
"I don't…" Lucy began, but shaking her head, she reached for her purse and fished out her cell phone, "I should have something on my calendar…"
Opening her phone, however, turned out to be a big mistake, because there, front and center on her home screen was another cutesy picture of her and Wyatt…and though she tried to hide it, one sideways glance in Wyatt's direction told her she hadn't moved her phone fast enough. His clenched jaw and red-tinged ears were all the evidence she needed to know that he was just as mortified by the sight of them locked in a passionate embrace as she was.
"Let's see," she muttered, attempting to focus on the task at hand and not the fact that her once familiar calendar was now filled with date reminders…dates with Wyatt that she had never taken. "The UCSD conference in 2015 was…" Lucy gasped slightly and colored once more as she squeaked out, "August 10-11."
"Is there something else?" Agent Christopher asked in concern, "Something we should know?"
"I…I met Wyatt on the 12th" she admitted with a whimper, turning the phone so they could see. There, on the 12th, next to "Rescued by Wyatt" was a heart emoji, followed by a wink emoji.
"Is there anything else?" Agent Christopher asked. "Anything that might explain why…"
Lucy cast a glance towards Wyatt whose face had gone stony and shrugged, her voice dropping to a whisper, "Um…well…it uh…looks like it took a bit longer than 8 hours to get to San Francisco…"
At that, Wyatt absolutely started, turning to face her as if daring her to continue. Seeing him look so upset and affected, Lucy shook her head, "It's probably nothing…I mean, I'm sure it was nothing…it's just…my calendar has things like Hearst Castle tour…and…and a Monterey Touring Vehicle reminder…and…well, and then there's this photo on my calendar..."she practically sobbed, handing her phone over to Mason as she buried her face in her hands again.
"Oh now…that's…that's just charming." Mason replied bracingly, handing the phone to Agent Christopher. "You two look very happy…oh look, you're wearing matching sweatshirts. How very quaint, indeed." Lucy cast a sideways glance towards Wyatt who looked as if he didn't think it was very quaint. "You know the Bixby Bridge is one of the most beautiful sights along the Pacific Coast Highway." Mason continued, "Unfortunate that you two appeared to have caught it in the rain."
"That's the unfortunate part?" Wyatt spat out, unable to contain himself any longer, staring daggers at Agent Christopher and Mason. "It's charming? We look happy? What the hell?" he challenged, "Lucy was engaged!"
"Yes…" Mason conceded tentatively, "But I think we can establish…based on her…shall we say…penchant for cancellations? Shewasn't happy with the doctor."
"So? She was still engaged." Wyatt spat out with more force than he intended. "I mean, what the hell? I pick her up off the side of the damn road and what, screw around with some other guy's fiancé? What kind of asshole do you think I am?"
"Wyatt…" Lucy urged.
"No. No. There is no way in hell any of this could possibly be true. I would never have done something like that to some poor unsuspecting bastard. It's not who I am." Wyatt gritted angrily.
"Maybe it started off innocently enough" Agent Christopher murmured, looking once more at Mason's laptop. "It says here the engagement party was moved at the last minute from the 13th to the 22nd due to a catering issue." She shrugged as she glanced at Wyatt and Lucy, "Maybe that's the reason you offered her a ride?" she suggested. "Maybe whatever issues she was having with her vehicle couldn't be fixed in a timely manner?"
"But why not just get a damn rental car?" Wyatt spat out. "Who the hell drives eight hours up the damn coast with some other guy's fiancé?"
"You do, apparently." Mason replied glibly, before raising his hands in defense and assuring, " I'm not judging you of course, but seeing as this trip apparently took more than 8 hours…I'd say you two were rather enjoying yourselves."
Wyatt cursed under his breath and held his head in his hands, looking absolutely furious.
"So, this Noah," Agent Christopher started, casting a wary glance towards Wyatt, "he's the man you were engaged to yesterday, you say?"
"Yes, but…but only after we came back from the Hindenburg." Lucy explained, "I never met him before in my life before then."
"Well, apparently in this timeline…you did." Connor replied thoughtfully. Biting his lip he pushed himself away from the table and made his way over to his smartboard. "This is truly fascinating. For you, Ms. Preston," he said as he began making virtual marks on the board, "your timeline diverted after 1937…but Wyatt's…yours remained the same? Am I correct in assuming that your wife was still dead after that mission?" Wyatt huffed out an angry breath before nodding as Connor continued, "Lucy, you say that when you got back from the Hindenburg mission your sister was never born, your mother was not sick and you were engaged to this man…Noah?"
"Yes," she replied, a look of confusion on her face, "but…I don't understand…"
"Don't you see?" Connor illustrated as he drew a few more lines, "Your past…according to our files…your family…it's the same as it was when you got back from the Hindenburg. The great exception is now Wyatt's past. So, whatever happened to bring you here, to change this for you…had to have happened on the last mission. Whatever changed for Wyatt, has somehow crossed into your past timeline creating this new shared existence." Looking at the two of them, he queried, "Is there anything you can think of that occurred that would make a change that would affect you both so personally?"
Lucy immediately looked at Wyatt whose face had gone stony. She had no idea what kind of trouble he could get in by purposefully changing history…their job was to protect it after all. While she didn't begrudge Wyatt the chance to fix his biggest regret, it had now gone beyond just bringing back his dead wife. Somehow, it had affected her too. It didn't make any sense…and while she would have loved an answer as to why, she also knew that Wyatt could very well lose his place on the team over this…and she wasn't about to throw him under the bus.
Shaking her head, Lucy replied quietly, "No…no idea."
"Well, then" Connor sighed, "if we don't know how it happened, there's little we can do to try to change things back…"
"Who says we need to change it back?" Wyatt spat out, shifting uncomfortably. "My wife is alive…she's alive…you think I want to change that?"
"Yes, but Lucy's sister…her past…"
"Her sister doesn't have anything to do with my wife." Wyatt snapped, pointing to the board. "You said so yourself. Whatever changed for me just messed up what was already messed up for Lucy….so it doesn't matter." He shook his head, "Change what you want for Lucy…but Jessica is alive…I'm not giving that up. Ever."
Agent Christopher narrowed her eyes at him, thinking. Lucy could see the wheels spinning in her head as she observed first Wyatt, then herself as if she knew they were keeping something from her. Lucy cast her eyes down to her hands, wishing she could just slink away and have that drink she so desperately needed when the Homeland Security officer quietly stated, "No one is saying you have to give up anything, Master Sergeant. I think, though," she continued gently, "you have to understand that this timeline is different. The choices you made, the relationships you had…all different."
"The only relationship I'm interested in is with my wife. The woman I actually love." Wyatt replied, pushing away from the table. "I have to see her, ma'am. I know we have a job to do here, but I…dammit, I lost her five years ago…and I just…I need to see her."
Agent Christopher's eyes darted momentarily to Lucy before she nodded, "I understand, believe me, I do. But this mission…"
"Damn this mission." Wyatt exclaimed angrily slamming his hand down on the table.
"Master Sergeant." Agent Christopher remonstrated firmly. "You signed up for this. You know the level of security involved. Getting someone read in and on retainer will…"
"Get Dave Baumgardener." Wyatt offered. "He's great. He would do a good job."
"It's not as simple as that. Getting someone read in…" Agent Christopher sighed with a shake of her head. "And need I remind you that Flynn has a nuclear core? I'm sorry, Master Sergeant, but the timing here is…"
"I have a theory about that nuclear core," Mason mused as he drummed his fingers on the conference room table. Agent Christopher turned to him expectantly as he elaborated, "You know…I don't believe that Garcia Flynn is planning to use it for destructive purposes…well, not directly anyway." he said with a slight shrug. "When we were still in the development stages Anthony and I had talked about using nuclear energy to power the Mothership. The expense, however, proved to be a bit prohibitive…not to mention that plutonium isn't something you can just pick up at the local hardware store."
"So you think Flynn wants to use the nuclear core as…what? A battery?" Agent Christopher asked.
"Why not?" Mason shrugged. "He wouldn't have to plug into the power grid as he does now…something that is easily traceable. I have a team working on that right now, in fact." he admitted as he got up once more and began pacing. "It would also give him an advantage…we are limited," he explained, "having to recharge the Lifeboat between each jump. With a nuclear powered core, he wouldn't be tethered as we are."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning, he could jump as many times as he desired without having to wait hours to recharge the Mothership."
"Oh God." Agent Christopher groaned, thinking of the potential issues.
"Yes, it's not the happiest of thoughts." Mason agreed, "But, switching out the power source of the Mothership will take time." he said with a meaningful smile towards Wyatt, "and time, I think…is just what we need."
Wyatt eyes shot to Mason's, hopeful, as Agent Christopher frowned in thought. The Homeland Security officer was not heartless, but she, Lucy knew, was more pragmatic than romantic in her views. This job, the mission, superseded their personal lives. Hell, she hadn't even given her a moment to grieve when she found out her sister had disappeared. No, it had been Wyatt who had demanded they "give her a minute" instead of insisting she immediately ready herself up for that 1865 mission.
And at that thought, Lucy suddenly felt sick.
Wyatt, for all of his faults and infuriating pigheadedness, was…Wyatt. Even with a bullet lodged in his gut, he did his job. She should have hated him after he took that risky shot at the Hindenburg…but as he had said…he was just that good. And now…now with his wife back, they could very well lose him. Why on Earth would he want to continue doing this when everything he ever wanted…the miracle he had longed for…was suddenly realized?
"I suppose if we can get someone on retainer, with the hope that we will not have to use them," Agent Christopher mused begrudgingly, "we can try to arrange some leave for you, Master Sergeant." Wyatt was just about to voice his thanks when she talked over him, "That is if your team agrees."
Lucy snapped her head up as Wyatt turned to her, his eyes desperately pleading. She swallowed hard, anxiously attempting to keep her newly realized fears hidden as she cast her eyes down to the floor and nodded, "No…no…it's fine…of course, Wyatt should go." her voice wavered somewhat as she added for extra measure, "We'll…we'll be fine…here"
"Well then," Agent Christopher sighed, "I suppose I'll go work up your paperwork, Master Sergeant and make a few phone calls." With another look towards Lucy whose eyes were still trained to the floor, Agent Christopher turned on her heel and walked out of the conference room, followed shortly by Mason who jovially shook Wyatt's hand before he left.
Once the door was closed behind them, Wyatt absolutely rounded on Lucy, "Look, I appreciate you not spilling the beans back there…but this…this whole thing…"
"Wyatt, it's okay." Lucy assured him, her face flushing. "I…I don't think I would do those things either, but…obviously something…"
"No, you don't understand." Wyatt began tersely before closing his eyes and admitting with a groan, "It was Jessica's birthday."
"What?" Lucy asked bewildered, "What was?"
"The 12th…August 12th…the day we…you and I…met."
"Oh." Lucy blanched, sinking back down into her chair. "I…I'm sorry."
"What the hell are you apologizing for?" Wyatt asked incredulously. "I'm the asshole who picked up another guy's fiancé from the side of the damn road and offered to drive her up to San Francisco." He shook his head in disbelief. "I never thought I'd feel sorry for that doctor of yours." Wyatt grumbled, "But what the hell…"
"Yeah…" Lucy muttered uncomfortably. Wyatt was right. She felt awful for Noah. Here was evidence that she and Wyatt had basically had an affair…right before her engagement party…an affair that had her essentially leaving Dr. Noah and San Francisco high and dry and jumping headlong into a relationship with Wyatt.
Backing away from her awkwardly, Wyatt stammered, "Yeah, well…I just…you know…wanted say th…thank you for…you know…vouching for me with Agent Christopher."
Lucy gaped at him slightly before nodding, "Oh…yeah, of course" she stammered, before continuing, "I'm um…I'm really happy for you, Wyatt." He offered her a grateful smile and she did her best to return it. She wasn't lying – she was happy for him…she was just a little anxious about losing him as a teammate. Not wanting to burden Wyatt with those selfish thoughts though, she put on a brave face, doubting he would even care about leaving the team. This was his second chance, after all. A miracle. A chance to not just get his wife back, but to live a life without the burden of guilt and blame. Who was she to deny him that? If Amy had suddenly rematerialized in her life, she knew if it came down to this job or her sister which one she would choose.
Wyatt would be no different, she was sure.
There was just one thing she couldn't understand.
"I don't get it," she started, her eyes narrowed in confusion, "how on Earth could that telegram have changed both of our lives?"
Wyatt stared back at her and shrugged, "I don't know," he muttered, "but I still don't believe it." he scoffed, "Why would I have… I mean, you were engaged, right? Where the hell was your fiancé?" Why didn't he come along to your…symposium…thing?"
"Don't ask me." Lucy shrugged, bewildered, "I don't understand why I just didn't fly. I mean, without Amy…I would have never driven that far on my own. I haven't since…" she paused suddenly, going slightly pale, before she shook her head dismissively sighing, "Well, I guess it doesn't matter now, does it?"
Wyatt eyed her warily before nodding slowly in agreement, "Nope…doesn't matter at all. Like you said, this isn't real."
"Right."
Lucy made to skirt by him, ready to make a beeline for the conference room door when he grabbed her elbow, "Hey," he asked gently, "are you…are you okay? You seem a little…"
"I'm fine." Lucy said a little too quickly, not quite meeting his eye, "it's just…long day. I'm just ready to put my feet up and have a drink."
Nodding thoughtfully, Wyatt released her elbow and followed her out of the conference room. Her quaking knees had her gripping the bannister a little too tightly and she absolutely worked to avoid the curious stares of both Rufus and Jiya…but Wyatt seemed to be determined to draw her out, "Lucy," he remarked as she nearly faceplanted off the last step, "are you sure…"
"I told you, I'm fine." she insisted. "Really, Wyatt…it's just been a long three days. I just need to unwind and try to process…all of this…I…I mean," she corrected, flushing again, "I never really got to deal with the fact that my sister is gone…and now with everything else that has happened…I just," she scoffed as she waved her hand dismissively, "I'm fine…really. I just need a glass of wine. Maybe two." Wyatt frowned and studied her…like he was reading her inmost thoughts…and she hated it. "So," she chirped, desperately attempting to avoid his further scrutiny, "this Dave…person?" she began, hoping to sound more like herself. "What's he like?"
"Bam Bam?" Wyatt began with a smile, "Oh he's great…one of my best friends in Delta Force. You'll like him a lot more than me."
Lucy smirked, attempting to meet Wyatt's levity, "He's not a reckless hothead, you mean?"
"Not even close." Wyatt answered with a smile. "Bam Bam is…well, let's just say he would have been more likely to pick you up off the side of the road than me." Lucy's eyebrows shot skyward as Wyatt assured, "But really, he's a good soldier. He's saved my ass more than once out in the field…he'll take good care of you and Rufus."
Lucy nodded, willing her tears to stay at bay. She didn't know why saying good-bye to Wyatt should affect her so much. She hardly knew him…but Rufus was right. They were finally starting to gel as a team. She was just beginning to understand and trust him…and now…now she was going to have to trust someone else instead. Would that someone else have cared as much as Wyatt had that Amy was missing? Would that someone else have comforted her after the Lincoln assassination? Would that someone else almost instinctively reach over and buckle her safety harness?
She doubted it, no matter what Wyatt's assurances were to the contrary.
"Well, for what it's worth…you're a really good soldier too, Wyatt." she said quietly. "You took really good care of us."
"Took?" Rufus challenged, pushing away from his desk to meet them "you mean, he takes good care of us. Don't think that just because your wife is back from the dead," he said, turning to Wyatt, "that that gives you permission to leave us high and dry."
"I'm not leaving you high and dry." Wyatt contended, "I've got a replacement coming in…"
"A replacement." Rufus scoffed, "It better only be temporary." Wyatt rolled his eyes and made to argue, but Rufus cut him off, "I don't give a damn what Agent Christopher says about your leave…I'll have you know, I objected. No way in hell do I want to trust anybody else watching my ass with Flynn running around with a nuclear core." Lowering his voice, he added, "And I wouldn't trust anybody else to not kill Anthony…I mean it, man" he said imploringly, "we need you."
"You don't need me." Wyatt dismissed, "Hell, I should have been fired for letting Flynn take off with a plutonium core."
"All three of us should have been fired. We're a team, remember?" Rufus shot back meaningfully, "I just think you should remember that before you abandon us and head down to San Diego to work on your love life."
"Work on my…my wife is alive, Rufus."
"Ex-wife." Rufus reminded him, "Who probably hasn't seen your ass…and probably hasn't cared to see your ass in, what? Three, four years?" Wyatt looked murderous as Rufus continued, "Look, man, I'm not trying to knock your marriage…but there's a reason you two got divorced…"
"All the more reason to see her" Wyatt argued, "I have to know what happened, Rufus. I have to see if there's any chance to get her back. Besides," he added for extra measure, "Lucy thinks I should go too, don't you?"
Lucy, who had been mindlessly picking at her cuticle, looked up to see a look of abject betrayal on Rufus' face at Wyatt's last comment. "Et tu, Lucy?" he asked pointedly. "I thought you, being his fiancé and all, would be on my side of this argument."
"Rufus…" Lucy began, but now Wyatt was looking at her as if half-expecting her to switch sides and ask him to stay…and that was the problem…because she did want him to stay. No matter what her head was telling her about Wyatt absolutely needing to go and see the wife he had mourned for five years, her heart was screaming just the opposite. Potentially losing Wyatt on the team was…unthinkable…for all the reasons Rufus mentioned. They were a team, they had started this together….to finish it with someone else? It wouldn't be right. "Of course we don't want to lose Wyatt," she groaned, before muttering quietly, "but he deserves to be happy…we all do."
"Uh-huh…and I would be a hell of a lot happier if I didn't have to go after a nuclear-powered Flynn with some guy named Bam Bam…I mean, what the hell? What is he?" A Flintstone?"
"It's a nick-name, Rufus" Wyatt breathed out in annoyance. "Look, I'm just saying…"
As Wyatt and Rufus continued to argue, Lucy quietly excused herself and made her way down the hall to the exit. As much as she appreciated Rufus' points, particularly since she couldn't offer her own true opinion- given her proximity to the issue at hand - she didn't want to stand there and listen to it anymore. The thought of losing Wyatt was mentally and emotionally draining. Rufus was right – after tonight, especially, they needed someone they knew and trusted with them to go after Flynn. But she also understood that Wyatt would be miserable if he didn't see Jessica…miserable and distracted…and well, what kind of help would he be to them in that state? So instead of standing idly by, torn between the arguments of her two teammates, Lucy slinked away to find solace in her childhood home with a bottle of her mother's finest wine.
As she pushed open the door and was met with a rush of fresh, cold air, Lucy allowed herself to take a deep breath and just stand for a moment, reflecting on the insanity that her life had become. Just three days ago...just three…she had walked into these very doors with a sister, with a father…with a life that she knew. Now? She had no idea what would happen from one day to the next. Every time she stepped foot into that damn time machine, something seemed to change for her and while she was tired of the mess and the chaos, she felt helpless to get herself out of it. Another flicker of panic stole through her at that thought, but she quickly brushed it aside. She had enough to worry about without wondering what changes the next mission would bring for her.
Hating she had ever opened the door for Agent Kondo and Homeland Security, she made her way to her car and slid in behind the wheel. "Dammit." she breathed out, finally letting out all of her anger, frustration, and anxiety in the safety and sanctuary of her Honda Civic.
Here, at least, she could vent.
Hot tears formed, seemingly of their own volition, as she tilted her head back against the head rest. Amy, her father, Noah, Wyatt…Flynn…she cried for and because of every one of them. This job was already taxing enough, but the way her life had become so completely upended…she hadn't signed up for that. Well, technically speaking, she hadn't signed up for any of it, but here she was…
…crying in her car.
"Ugh." Lucy gritted out, leaning forward and wiping away her tears in the rear-view mirror. It was then that she noted for the first time that she was wearing her new engagement ring. Gasping, she held out her shaking hand, even as stray tears continued their journey down her cheek. Despite the entire conversation they had just had, she hadn't really considered that in this timeline, Wyatt was supposed to be her fiancé. It just didn't seem real or possible and so…it hadn't quite registered.
Until now.
This ring wasn't a grotesque monstrosity like the one Noah had given her. This one was delicate and tasteful – its wow factor centered on the intricate filagree designs along the band and setting rather than the size of the diamond. In truth, if given the choice between the two, this was what she would have chosen for herself. There was a vintage charm about it that made it seem…almost…like it was specifically chosen with her in mind. She marveled to think that reckless, hotheaded, 'stomp all over history' Wyatt would take the time to choose a ring for her that exactly fit her taste and personality. Whatever their relationship had been in this lifetime, he seemed to know her a hell of a lot better than Noah did…
No.
Shaking her head, she wrenched the ring off of her finger and dropped it into her bag, ignoring the odd sense of loss that accompanied that action. She meant what she said up there…this wasn't real and so it would do no good to get worked up over yet another fake fiancé. Wyatt was married…well, divorced…but given how much he loved Jessica, she was sure that whatever problems had led them to divorce would quickly be done away with once he had her back in his arms. What that meant for him and his future on the team…she had no idea - she was just glad that she didn't have to pretend anymore. Noah might have been a nice guy, but trying to navigate her already complicated life with a fiancé she didn't know? No, thank you.
At least both she and Wyatt were on the same page when it came to this development.
Yes, absolutely. Coming back home and finding herself engaged to Wyatt Logan was far more preferable to coming home and finding herself engaged to a complete stranger.
But as she watched as Wyatt made his way across the parking lot towards his Jeep, leave papers in hand, she couldn't help but wonder if maybe…just maybe…she was wrong about that.
Notes:
Okay, so I wasn't going to post this until I got further along in this fic as a whole, but I am desperately trying to get the next chapter of Stranded done before Christmas (I'm SOOOOO CLOSE) and I'm not sure if I am going to make it...so this is my consolation - the next chapter of Vegas.
I got some VERY good news this week...the international move is OFF so I will not be as busy as I once was...sometimes travel restrictions and Visa issues can work to ones benefit, folks. I was so thrilled, I was practically doing backflips - so it's a very Merry Christmas at our house.
If I don't get Stranded out before Christmas - have a Happy Holidays, folks. Hope you enjoy this one. It should ring familiar to those of you following the whole Torrent Saga.
Thanks for reading and bless you all!
