Chapter 1 (Lucy)

Wyatt's hand was warm and firm under her elbow as Lucy struggled to climb into the lifeboat after the team had walked at least a mile past the crowds and bright lights of the Chicago Worlds Fair. Between her voluminous skirts and corset, her natural clumsiness, and the growing weariness that was seeping into her very bones, it was small wonder she tripped and fell backwards. Luckily, Wyatt was there to catch her, strong arms cradling her against his broad chest.

"Hey, easy there, Lucy," he softly cautioned against her ear. She shivered at his low intimate tone, and Wyatt must have assumed that she was cold because as he set her carefully on her feet, he ran his hands slowly up and down her arms, and looking up into his concerned dark blue eyes, Lucy felt as far away from cold as a woman being touched by Wyatt Logan could get.

"My God, I wasn't sure I'd ever see him again," she thought, and to her great embarrassment, her bottom lip began to tremble, and she could feel the tears start to trickle down her face. Wyatt frowned slightly and pulled her to him, rubbing her back and murmuring soothing words as Lucy closed her eyes and tucked her face against his neck, just breathing him in. Even after he and Rufus had spent several agonizing hours in a serial killer's "murder room," he still smelled so good (like home, her vulnerable mind supplied).

From behind her, she dimly heard Rufus ask quietly, "Is she okay to jump? Lifeboat's all set, and I don't know about you guys, but I'm so ready to go home." "Yeah, just give us a minute, okay, Rufus?" Wyatt requested, and then it was just the two of them again, as he continued to hold and comfort her. A few moments later, he drew back slowly and putting a hand on her tear-stained cheek, asked, "You want to try again, Lucy? Rufus is right, we need to get home so the doctor can get you checked out."

He gently tilted her chin up, and looking into her eyes, smiled when she nodded slowly. "That's my girl," he praised, and solicitously handed her over to Rufus, who tugged her up and in the lifeboat before taking his own seat and began flipping the dizzying array of buttons and switches necessary to take them home. Lucy got herself situated and sat listlessly while Wyatt easily scrambled in and sat down before leaning forward and deftly fastening her safety harnesses.

Lucy knew she was staring at him as his large hands skillfully made sure she was secure, and her breath caught when he looked up suddenly and solemnly confided, "It just didn't seem right for your seat to be empty on our jump here. We missed you, Lucy, and I'm glad you're okay." Gazing into his sincere blue eyes, all Lucy could manage was a jerky nod, and a lone tear escaped as she shut her eyes tightly for the trip home.

Once the lifeboat thudded to its usual stomach-churning stop, Lucy's reality became a series of blurred images and sounds: a worried-looking Wyatt unfastening her harnesses and hauling her to her feet as she swayed precariously on shaky legs before he hastily jumped down and turned to gather Lucy in his arms... numerous voices, loud and urgent, all running together...bright lights, wavering and painful... the deep rumble of Wyatt's voice echoing around her head as Lucy finally succumbed to the inviting lure of dark oblivion, utterly secure in the knowledge that she was safe in his protective arms.

Lucy's eyelids lazily fluttered open as she gradually awakened to find herself in one of the private hospital rooms at Mason. Able to draw in a deep breath for the first time in what felt like forever, she was so thrilled to be out of that damn corset, she didn't even mind the oh-so-attractive hospital gown that someone had put her in. She grimaced at the thought of the blood-red gown Flynn had chosen for her to wear in Chicago because it had given her the creeps when she noticed the dress matched his costume (ugh). As she lay there blinking slowly, mentally taking stock of her physical condition, she heard a faint snoring beside her, and turning her head cautiously, smiled wistfully at the sight of Wyatt slouched down in what looked like an uncomfortable chair with one hand resting on his steadily rising and falling chest.

She became pleasantly aware that his other hand was securely clasping hers. Lucy lifted her eyes from their joined hands to see Wyatt's dark blue eyes flicker open and gaze intently at her. "Hey, you're finally awake," he said with a relieved smile, as he pulled his hand from hers so he could stand and stretch. Lucy didn't even bother to hide her appreciation for the glimpse of his flat, toned stomach when his shirt rode up. She dropped her gaze just in time as he asked how she was feeling. "Okay, I think," she tentatively answered, and realized thankfully that it was the truth.

"Well, that's good to hear, considering you've been asleep for," checking his watch briefly, "over twelve hours," he teased. Her eyes widened at that piece of information, but before she got up the courage to ask if he'd been there the whole time, the door opened to admit Agent Christopher accompanied by a nurse. As the nurse started taking Lucy's vitals, Agent Christopher motioned for Wyatt to step into the hall with her.

Lucy had just started to close her eyes again when she heard Wyatt exclaim angrily, "Are you serious? It's too soon! No! Absolutely not! She's been through enough already!" and she frowned as she strained to hear Agent Christopher's reply through the closed door, but it was a futile effort because unlike Wyatt, she was speaking in a normal tone of voice. "Miss Preston, you need to relax so I can take your blood pressure," the nurse admonished briskly, and Lucy tried to comply, even as she could feel her anxiety level rising.

What was going on? Why was Wyatt yelling? What did Agent Christopher want from her? Lucy began to gasp soundlessly as her breathing sped up and her heart beat faster in agitation, prompting the nurse to hurry to the door and summon Wyatt. He immediately came and sat on the side of the bed, taking her hand in his and putting his other hand on her cheek, tried to calm her down. "Lucy, it's all right, Lucy, look at me, just breathe, in and out, that's it, nice and slow," and never taking her eyes off him, she tried to match her breathing to his as a concerned Agent Christopher and nurse looked on.

Her eyes filling up as she struggled to compose herself, Lucy was relieved when Wyatt asked the two women to give them a few minutes. Clutching his hand tightly, she felt much better when the door closed and it was just the two of them. "There you go, Lucy, that's it," he murmured approvingly as his thumb delicately brushed away a couple tears. "Now what has you so upset?" Wyatt asked, and when she hesitated, he gently lifted her chin to look into her eyes.

Lucy sighed, and confessed, "I could hear you yelling at Agent Christopher, and it worried me. What did she say to make you so angry?" and her heart sank when he paused (what could be so bad that Wyatt would actually yell at his superior officer), and finally admitted, "She wants to debrief you as soon as possible, and I think you need a little more time, maybe have something to eat and get a shower before you have to start reliving this nightmare. I'm sorry if I overstepped, but..." and his voice trailed away as Lucy smiled gratefully at him.

Squeezing his hand, she whispered, "Thank you, Wyatt, for having my back and always taking care of me," and was dismayed to see him shake his head and frown at her. Had she overstepped just now? As she started to pull her hand from his, Wyatt gripped it even more firmly. "Lucy, no, that's just it. This was all my fault. I let Flynn take you, so, no, I didn't have your back, and I am so sorry for what happened to you. Can you forgive me?" and the pained look in his dark blue eyes nearly broke her heart.

At a loss for words, Lucy tugged him closer and resting her cheek on his shoulder, felt his arms encircle her, and for a brief moment, everything was right in Lucy's world. All too soon, Wyatt pulled back at a knock on the door. "Lucy," he urged, "You don't have to do this right now." She put a hand on his stubbled cheek and replied, "It's okay, Wyatt. Probably better to just get it over with," and he sighed, and standing, called out, "It's open."

Before an obviously exasperated Agent Christopher could even speak, Wyatt brusquely informed her that as soon as Lucy had something to eat and gotten cleaned up, he would bring her to the conference room for her debriefing, as long as Medical released her. The agent glared at Wyatt, but decided not to cross the line in the sand he had drawn, and after telling Lucy she was glad she had gotten back safely, huffed in Wyatt's direction as she left the room.

As the nurse began sliding the blood pressure cuff up Lucy's arm again, Wyatt leaned over the other side of the bed and promised Lucy he'd be back with some food after she finished her shower and got dressed. She nodded, and slumped back on the pillows, suddenly tired again, even though she had just woke up from a twelve-hour "nap." Maybe Wyatt had been right to try and put Agent Christopher off, because just the thought of sitting in the conference room and answering questions for who knew how long, made her dizzy (c'mon, Lucy, get your act together, quit being a big baby).

An hour later, Lucy was certain that Wyatt had been right, because she wasn't even sure she was being coherent any longer. After a distressingly-brief hot shower that had merely washed away the grime from the coffin that H.H. Holmes had stuck her in, and gobbling down half a turkey and cheese sandwich with a bottle of water that Wyatt had brought her, Lucy felt like she had been hit by a truck. She ached all over, and the lights in the conference room were giving her a throbbing headache. It hadn't helped either when Agent Christopher had insisted that she wanted to speak with Lucy alone, and from Wyatt's instantly growled protest, he had been very unhappy at being banished from the conference room. "Lucy, I will be right outside the door if you need me," he said, scowling at the agent.

She had gone over Flynn's plans to assassinate Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, and J.P. Morgan with the coerced assistance of Harry Houdini at least three times and in as much detail as she could remember before Agent Christopher was satisfied. Thinking she was done, Lucy had stood on shaky legs before the other woman said regretfully, "Lucy, I'm afraid we're not finished yet. If you're up to it, I need you to tell me about your abduction." To her dismay, she felt her eyes well up, and she blinked fiercely to keep the tears from escaping down her cheeks as she dropped back into the chair.

Taking a deep breath, Lucy looked down at her tightly-clasped hands and started at the beginning of her nightmare, when the trio had decided to split up at the Rittenhouse manor to try and find young John before Flynn, who had sworn to kill him. She thought she might have seen a glimmer of admiration in Agent Christopher's eyes when she recounted how she had unthinkingly stepped in front of the boy to keep Flynn from shooting him in cold blood.

Her immense relief at finding that the child had escaped had rapidly dissolved into panic at the incredible anger he had directed at her for thwarting his plans. Cruelly wrapping his large hand unyieldingly around her wrist, he started dragging her behind him, forcing Lucy to practically run to keep up with his long legs. She had frantically pulled at his iron grip on her wrist with her free hand and screamed for Wyatt and Rufus as loudly as she could, but Flynn was like a man possessed, and she had fearfully realized that if they got to the mother ship before Wyatt could find her, she would be alone at the mercy of an insanely enraged Garcia Flynn.

Lucy's heart had jumped hopefully in her chest when she finally heard Wyatt's voice yelling her name, and she tried dropping to the ground with all her weight to slow their progress towards the still-concealed mother ship, but that merely resulted in Flynn brutally yanking her to her feet, nearly pulling Lucy's arm from its socket (No wonder she ached all over). She could tell by their shouts that Wyatt and Rufus were getting closer and she desperately wanted them to save her, but without warning, as Flynn hauled her across a large open clearing, the mother ship appeared, its oblong-shaped door gliding open smoothly and metal steps dropping down.

She remembered her historically-correct half boots had gotten wet going through the dew-covered grass, and she had slipped on the metal steps more than once, banging her shins painfully as Flynn hauled her roughly into the mother ship. Lucy had nearly wrenched her neck trying to turn around to see where Wyatt and Rufus were, but it had been too late. Flynn had flung her into a seat, none-too-gently cuffing her wrists together in front of her with zip ties, and gruffly ordered his pilot, Anthony Bruhl, to leave immediately. Lucy had noticed that Anthony couldn't meet her eyes as he wordlessly obeyed Flynn's command.

At that point, Lucy paused to compose herself while the other woman waited patiently. She sipped at her water, and swallowing hard over the sudden lump in her throat, resumed speaking. Within seconds of leaving 1780 upstate New York, the mother ship had landed quietly in a large deserted warehouse, she assumed somewhere in or around San Francisco. Flynn had stalked angrily off the ship while Anthony slunk after him, and that left Lucy with Karl and another goon with dark hair and no neck. She shivered as she recollected the ugly look in Karl's eyes as "No Neck" had grabbed her out of the seat and pushed her towards the hatch.

Lucy absentmindedly rubbed her sore hip as she told Agent Christopher that Karl had savagely yanked her down the metal steps so hard that she had tripped, severely banging her hip. Karl took her arm roughly and after carelessly slicing through the zip ties on her wrists, pushed her into a small room and slamming the door shut, locked it securely from the outside. Glancing up, she could tell by the sympathetic expression on the agent's face that she was aware that Lucy was extremely claustrophobic. The tiny room was just large enough to hold a twin mattress and there was a small lamp on the floor in one corner.

Lucy wasn't even aware of the tears sliding down her face as she relived those early hours of her captivity, how she had dropped down on the mattress, and scooting back against a corner, hugged her knees to her chest as she could hear Flynn's furious shouts through the locked door. She must have fallen asleep because she was startled awake when without warning, the door was jerked open and Karl was standing in the doorway. "Boss says you can have a bathroom break and something to eat if you behave yourself," he had sneered.

Not wanting to betray her nearly paralyzing fear, Lucy had tried to control her trembling limbs and getting to her feet, numbly followed Karl past the mother ship to the other side of the warehouse. She had stumbled as he shoved her into the bathroom, nearly hitting her head on the small sink. A loud bang on the door preceded Karl yelling "five minutes" and not wanting to antagonize him, she had hastily used the bathroom and washed her hands and face, not bothering to even look in the cracked mirror.

Without warning, the bathroom door flew open, and Flynn stood there glowering at her. Lucy admitted that the deranged look on his face terrified her, and she was honestly afraid he was going to kill her. Just uttering those words out loud made Lucy feel sick to her stomach, and her head started to swim. She could barely hear an alarmed Agent Christopher saying her name over the roaring in her ears, and little black spots danced lazily before her eyes.

And then suddenly, Wyatt was there, pulling her chair away from the conference room table, and kneeling before her, his warm hands gently pushed her head between her knees. "Lucy, you're okay, I'm right here, just breath slowly, you're safe now," he murmured in her ear as he coldly informed the agent, "She's done here. It's been over three hours, and you have pushed her to the point of passing out. I'm taking her home now. If she feels better in the morning, I'll bring her back in," and Lucy was vaguely aware that the other woman offered no resistance.

Putting his hand lightly on the back of her bent neck, Wyatt asked if she was ready to go home, and Lucy winced as she raised her head too quickly. Blinking drowsily at him, she whispered, "Yes," as he easily pulled her to her feet, and keeping his arm around her, they left the conference room and headed towards the women's locker room to retrieve her phone and bag. A deep wave of exhaustion washed over Lucy as they slowly walked outside to his truck, and she pitched gratefully against him for support.

She didn't remember falling asleep during the short ride to Wyatt's apartment, but it felt like only seconds later he leaned in her open door, and she heard him say, "Lucy, we're here. Can you wake up? C'mon, let's get you inside." Taking her hands, he tugged her carefully out of the front seat, and shutting the door, helped her inside. Lucy knew she was fading fast, and it took all her concentration to follow Wyatt into his bedroom and sit on the side of the bed after he pulled the covers back.

She managed to stay upright long enough for him to remove her shoes, and was so close to passing out, it didn't even register that he was matter-of-factly removing her jeans and sweater and dropping a large warm tee shirt over her head before she fell over on an invitingly soft pillow. Lucy sluggishly blinked up at Wyatt as he carefully pulled the covers up to her shoulders and pressing a tender kiss on her head, whispered, "Good night, Lucy." And then she knew no more.

A/N: This is my attempt to "crack" the writer's block I'm still having with the latest chapter of First Steps, plus I got inspired from re-watching some of my fave episodes thanks to my season one DVD's I got this week (YAY). Big shout out to Once Upon A Whim for her contribution to part of the plot. The next chapter will be most of these same events from Wyatt's P.O.V. My sincere appreciation for all the wonderful reviews, favorites, follows, and encouragement, especially from the guest reviewers. I'm so proud to be part of this amazing fandom :))