(a/n): Some in-between-scenes missing moments to potentially help explain how things went down in 1x16.
Disclaimer: I don't own Timeless, this is just for fun.

Missing Moments

"I know who we can call."

She's on the phone for less than a minute, but Wyatt's eyes never leave her. Lucy is stood a short distance away from him and Rufus, who is sprawled out, face contorting with pain. Her eyes keep flicking back to them, assuring herself they're still there, it's going to be ok. It has to be. She's tense, and pacing, quietly convincing Noah to drive out to Oakland in the middle of the night like it's a regular occurrence.

"You're doing great buddy, just hang on in there," Wyatt mutters to Rufus, still applying pressure to his gunshot wound and following Lucy with his eyes.

"Uh huh. Sure." Rufus puffs out, trying to get a hold on his agony.

"Are you kidding me? The Doc'll be here soon to fix you up, good as new."

Rufus doesn't reply immediately and Wyatt's eyes flick down to him in concern. Their eyes meet. "What if he's not? Wyatt, I- I never told Jiya-"

"Hey. Don't do that." Wyatt says firmly. "Lucy'll get him to come. She can do anything, remember?"

Rufus chuckles, making his face screw up in discomfort. "Right. Because he loves her."

"Right." Wyatt murmurs, his eyes back on Lucy.

Rufus observes his friend, a flicker of understanding dawning in his eyes. He's suspected, but hasn't been totally sure until now. Wyatt has a thing for Lucy. More than a thing, if the way his eyes follow her with such intensity and how his jaw clenches at the mention of another man's feelings for her is any indication. Rufus opens his mouth to voice these thoughts, but Lucy is rushing back to them, crouching down next to Rufus, both worry and relief flooding her features.

"He's on his way. It's going to be ok Rufus, I promise." She smiles weakly down at him, trying to contain her tears.

Wyatt exhales, a tight smile on his face. "Good job, Lucy." They aren't out of the woods yet, but help is on the way. He reaches over and squeezes her arm, pulling her attention from Rufus. Lucy reaches up to grip Wyatt's arm in turn, as if anchoring her to sanity. They exchange a smile, full of reassurance and, Rufus notes, a touch of adoration from both of them.

Well, damn. Looks like the feeling is mutual. Rufus makes a mental note to call them both up on it when he's not bleeding out from a bullet lodged in his gut.

"Got it Doc, as soon as we can."

"As soon as we can? I think you gotta do better than that, actually…"

Rufus looks between Wyatt and Noah's curt exchange as he lies on the table, a perplexed frown on his face. What the hell…?

Lucy stands awkwardly next to Wyatt, her eyes flicking between the two men. "Uh, why don't you guys give us a minute, ok?" she interrupts with a false bright smile, laying a gentle hand on Wyatt's arm. His eyes calm instantly at her touch as he glances down at her, his jaw working overtime. Rufus sees this small gesture isn't lost on Noah, his eyes narrowing in frustration as he takes in his fiancée clasping another man's arm, her thumb lightly stroking his bicep comfortingly.

As Noah follows Lucy through the side door, throwing one last dirty look at Wyatt, Rufus wonders how he's missed all of these tiny moments between the two of them before. Now that he thinks about it, Wyatt is always the one to help Lucy out of the Lifeboat, hanging back to offer her a hand even if he's the first one out. Buckling her into her seat even if she could do it herself, a hand on the small of her back guiding her along. A lingering look, secret smiles. And the hugging. There's been a lot of hugging lately. Not the same as when Lucy hugs Rufus – when Lucy hugs Wyatt they close their eyes, he holds her neck or rubs her back, her face is buried in his neck… Rufus wonders if he's that much of an unobservant dumbass, or if almost dying has focused his senses (or both).

Wyatt still has his arms tightly folded, and Rufus swears he can see a vein pulsing in his neck as he watches Lucy and Noah leave.

He sighs and turns back to Rufus. "How you doing, buddy? That was close, huh?" Wyatt tries to joke wearily.

"Gotta say, definitely remembering why I chose a less active career path," Rufus replies, gingerly attempting to sit up. Wyatt grips him under his arms to give him a hand and comes to take a seat next to him. "So. Lucy's fiancé doesn't like you." It's not a question. Now the obvious has dawned on Rufus, he's curious to get some answers.

"What?" Wyatt says, feigning ignorance. "Nah. This is like, the second time I've met him. He doesn't even know me."

"What happened the first time?" Rufus asks, frowning.

"Lucy needed a ride to Mason." Wyatt clears his throat gruffly, avoiding Rufus' eyes. "I went to pick her up."

"And?"

"Lucy was going through that whole crazy trying-to-salvage-the-fake-relationship thing. Agent Christopher interrupted their date and I don't exactly think he was pleased I was her ride." Wyatt smirked a little, not totally looking like he was sorry.

"What, because you picking Lucy up in the middle of the night doesn't scream 'professional'?" Rufus scoffed.

"It wasn't the middle of the night…" Wyatt muttered sheepishly.

"Well, whatever went down, he is definitely not your number one fan." Rufus commented, cocking his head to one side.

Wyatt shrugged. "I don't know what his problem is."

"Dude. He's got eyes." Rufus said incredulously.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means he can see you mooning over the woman he thinks he's engaged to. And-" Rufus clarified pointedly, as Wyatt opened his mouth to argue. "-he can see her mooning right back at you." Wyatt shut his mouth, his words lost in his throat. "Noah might not be in the front row to see the daily performances, but twenty minutes with you guys sure has him convinced. I'm betting he thinks there's a whole lot more going on than staff meetings and coffee runs, and not just because he had to dig a bullet out of me."

Wyatt scratched the back of his neck self-consciously, muttering, "Nothing's going on."

"You mean nothing's happened yet. There's a difference." Rufus chuckled wickedly. Wyatt very purposefully avoids Rufus' eyes as their Arkansas escapade flashes through his mind unbidden. "Wait," Rufus freezes, catching the expression on his friend's face. "Did something happen?"

A door opens at the other end of the warehouse and they both freeze, suddenly tense, with Wyatt instantly reaching for his gun until they spot Agent Christopher and Jiya running hurriedly towards them. As Jiya busies herself with fussing over Rufus, and Denise stands rigidly by filling them in on their escape, Wyatt can't help but think this conversation isn't over.

"When did you guys get here?"

Lucy returns shortly after, sans Noah, looking a little distracted. Soon they're piling into the Lifeboat to head to 1954 with Jiya in tow, and seating arrangements become an issue.

"You have to be buckled in. Non-negotiable. Unless you want to split in two." Rufus tells Jiya firmly as she crouches next to him, flipping switches and reaching where he can't due to his stitches.

"Looks like I'll have to risk it. Three seats, four crew. Not so smart for all those degrees, are you?" she teases quietly, tapping his head gently as she leans over to adjust the navigation controls.

"Jiya." Rufus pleads.

Wyatt and Lucy exchange a look behind them, and in a split second she's unbuckling herself. "Jiya, sit here. Rufus is right." Lucy instructs, pulling herself up and sitting on Wyatt's lap without hesitation. One of his arms goes around her waist instinctively to hold her in place, as a look of mild surprise overtakes his face.

"Lucy, what are you doing? What about you?" Wyatt asks, as Rufus and Jiya watch them dumbfoundedly.

"I trust you." Lucy assures him quietly, looking directly into his eyes, offering a small confident smile. "Hold on tight, ok?"

"Yes, ma'am." Wyatt murmurs back nervously, snaking his other arm tighter around her as she loops her arms around his neck. Their lingering look of unspoken affection is interrupted by the warehouse doors crashing open outside.

"Time to go!" Jiya announces, throwing herself into Lucy's vacant chair and adjusting it so the control panels are within reach.

Wyatt and Lucy exchange one last meaningful look as they grip onto each other for dear life. Lucy buries her face into Wyatt's neck as the Lifeboat blinks out of the present.

He's a little more nauseous than normal when they arrive in 1954 from her added weight and concentrating on keeping Lucy in one piece during their journey, but he doesn't want her to worry so he plays it cool. He's not sure she's convinced.

"Not to sound like my mom, but… is that what you're wearing?"

They stumble into the first department store they find, and Lucy is talking a mile a minute formulating their plans. "We'll get changed and then head straight to McCarthy, we'll have to keep a low profile. I'll meet you back here in twenty minutes." She doesn't wait for an answer, and starts heading for the elevator but Wyatt catches her arm.

"Woah there, where do you think you're going?" he frowns down at her.

"Wyatt, we don't have time. It'll be quicker if we split up to find some appropriate clothes." She hisses back frustratedly.

"We've already had to leave Rufus and Jiya, I'm not letting you out of my sight. It's too dangerous." He has fire in his eyes and he's not taking no for an answer.

Lucy sighs, knowing there's no changing his mind when he's in fierce-protection-mode. "Fine. But you're not following me into the dressing room."

He momentarily forgets the seriousness of the situation and opens his mouth to make a quip about how it's nothing he's not seen before. Their very first mission to 1937 springs to mind as an image of her bare back and bra flying through the air flashes behind his eyes, but then he mentally chastises himself that now is not the time for flirting. They start riding to the second floor in silence (Men's Wear: Wyatt is the more conspicuous of the two in his modern-day garb).

When he's suited up, he dutifully waits outside the dressing room as Lucy makes her selection, the sales clerk giving him a knowing look. "Is there anything I can help your wife with, sir?" she asks kindly.

Wyatt's eyes widen slightly in surprise. Of course she thinks Lucy is his wife; why else would he be sat outside her changing room (holding her purse, no less)? As if on cue, Lucy pulls back the curtain and emerges in a resplendent sky-blue number. She looks at him expectantly, awaiting his approval. He's seen her in a number of period-clothes for various missions, but he's always taken aback by how different she looks on every trip. Different, but always stunning. Always Lucy.

"Oh, lovely, just lovely. You're certainly a lucky man." The sales clerk gushes, as Wyatt snaps back into life. "I'll just ring that up for you."

As she leaves, Wyatt realizes he still hasn't spoken, simply staring at Lucy in awe with a small smile tugging at his lips. He can't help it. Even in the midst of a crisis she looks serene and beautiful.

"What?" Lucy asks, touching her up-do self-consciously. "Too much? Maybe I should-"

"No!" Wyatt says hastily, shaking himself out of his reverie. "No. You look great."

"Oh. Thanks." She smiles nervously, pausing for a beat. "So... we should get going."

"Yep. Sure," Wyatt says brightly, ushering her out of the dressing room with a gentle hand on her back. He wonders if this day can get any weirder, and then reflects that based on past experience, it probably can.

"He's looking at me like I'm a piece of meat."

"I can't imagine what that's like…"

He looks over at her as she scans the crowd, and a small chuckle escapes him. Of course she knows. She's a beautiful woman, and a lot of men are… well, a lot of men are assholes. He experiences a momentary pang of anger in his gut that anyone would dare disrespect her, and then another stab of jealousy that anyone's looking at her in the first place.

She takes a few steps away from him to get a better view of the adjoining room and that's the only opening the pretty boy at the bar needs. He's next to Wyatt in two seconds, offering to buy him a drink.

"Uh, thanks man, but I'm with her." Wyatt smiles awkwardly, as Lucy rejoins them to inform Wyatt that Ethan is at the bar. He slips his hand into hers and holds up their joined palms as Lucy raises her eyebrows in surprise.

"Pity." He comments with a smile, looking Wyatt up and down one last time before moving on to another gentleman a few feet away.

"What?" Wyatt asks, as Lucy tries to contain a smirk. "Hey, I know he's not exactly Ian Fleming but I could do worse."

"Did you seriously just use me a deflection from getting hit on by a guy?" Lucy laughs as Wyatt grins. He opens his mouth to tell her teasingly he wouldn't exactly call it a lie to say he was with her (in the sense that they're attending an event together, not in the romantically entangled way, but the pretty boy would be none the wiser). He's cut short, however, by Lucy's eyes suddenly turning serious as she catches something behind him. "He's alone, let's go." Ethan is finally unoccupied and this could be their one opportunity.

She releases his hand and he tries to push away the lingering feeling of regret at their loss of contact as he follows her through to the next room.

"Look, we already lost you once, I cannot lose you again."

"Your husband will be worried about you. He seems like a decent man." Ethan comments kindly, as they get back in the car and begin the drive to his house.

"Oh, I'm not married." Lucy replies, trying to keep thoughts of Wyatt and his desperate, panicked eyes at bay. Because she knows that's who he means.

"My apologies. I'm sure he'll ask soon. The way he looks at you, that's unconditional, I'm sure of it." Ethan is handling everything remarkably well, and now he's aware that this grown up woman in the back seat behind him is his granddaughter, Lucy is sure he's just trying to be kind and learn about her life before they have to say goodbye for more than sixty years.

"We're… just friends." She smiles politely, not wanting to have to explain that she's not exactly sure what she and Wyatt are, and especially not in front of Flynn. Flynn, however, seems to know more than he's letting on, as a snort of laughter escapes him. He keeps his eyes on the road, as Lucy narrows her eyes at him. He glances at her in the rearview mirror.

"I'm sorry," he smirks. "It's just, you should really read your journal sometime. Your Wyatt features quite regularly."

"I told you, I don't want to know anything about that journal." Lucy replies darkly, eyes fixed on the passing scenery outside the window.

"Of course, my mistake." Flynn smirks again. "The mention of husbands made me think… but never mind. You were quite clear about no spoilers when I acquired it, as was your- well, as I say, never mind…" He chuckles to himself as Lucy stares at the back of his head in shock.

Surely he couldn't mean... Wyatt? Or possibly Noah? But she'd just broken up with him… They'd joined forces temporarily in the name of taking down Rittenhouse and formed a somewhat shaky bond of trust, but she wouldn't put it past Flynn to still throw a few mind games into the mix to keep her on her toes. She was mostly convinced Flynn had given Wyatt his wife's killer's name to buoy him into stealing the Lifeboat and disrupt their team so he'd be free to roam history without their interference. Planting a seed of curiosity about future romantic entanglements could potentially cause similar results of disturbance in the Force, so Lucy wouldn't be entirely surprised if he was messing with her for the hell of it.

"Uh, what's he talking about?" Ethan asked Lucy confusedly.

"Nothing." Lucy said quietly through gritted teeth.

Flynn continued to chuckle to himself, muttering, "I think your Wyatt would disagree. We'll laugh about this one day, Lucy. You, and me, and your husband."

Lucy sighed, humoring him. "Sure we will."

"Look, we already lost you once, I cannot lose you again."

Wyatt climbs into the Lifeboat, the weight of leaving Lucy behind dragging him down like a stone. He throws himself into his seat, willing himself not to look back for a third time lest his heart tear in two right there and then. It feels eerily reminiscent of abandoning Jess – at least this time he knows he's leaving Lucy potentially in harm's way, and he wonders if that's worse. He feels utterly sick and not for the usual time-travel reasons.

Rufus is frantically flipping switches and preparing for take-off when he catches sight of Wyatt (eyes closed, jaw clenched, hands clamped into tight fists). He pauses sympathetically. "Dude… she's going to be ok. We'll get back home, and she'll be calling us five minutes later, I guarantee."

Wyatt doesn't reply, just nods brusquely. Rufus returns to the task at hand and within seconds they're winging their way to the present.

Wyatt goes with Rufus to the hospital. Lucy is still all he can think about, but he jokes with Rufus that if he has a breakdown due to his fretting over Jiya, someone will need to fill out his insurance paperwork. In truth, he goes with them because he's not sure what he'll do with himself if left unoccupied whilst they wait for Lucy. Lucy Lucy Lucy. Where are you?

Jiya lies in her hospital bed, unconscious but stable, as Rufus clutches her hand and gazes at her unblinkingly. Wyatt is opposite him, leaning back in an uncomfortable plastic chair, his eyes fixed on his un-ringing phone.

Rufus glances over and observes Wyatt's drawn face. "Any minute now, man. Any minute."

Wyatt sighs. "It's been two hours. What if…?" He huffs in frustration, angry with himself. "I should have stayed. Or made her come with us. Or… something."

"They had to talk to Ethan, right? Make a plan? I'm telling you, go and get a coffee and she'll call before you can throw it out because it tastes so bad." Rufus tries to assure him, but Wyatt seems unmoved. He leans forwards on his knees, scrubbing at his face. Rufus decides to go for a different tactic. "So… You and Lucy, huh?"

Wyatt sits back up slowly, eyeing Rufus wearily, but doesn't reply.

"You said I, before. I can't lose you again. Want to elaborate on that?" Rufus grins at his friend.

Wyatt looks away and coughs. "Just, y'know. I didn't want us to get separated again, like after that whole Benedict Arnold shit-storm, so… yeah…"

"No, no, you're not getting off that easily. You said we. Then you said I. I can't lose you again. What's going on? Does the Tin Man have a heart?" Rufus smirked. He was getting answers, damnit.

Wyatt folds his arms and regards Rufus for a long, silent minute before he replies. "Ok. You caught me." He pauses for a beat, relenting, as Rufus looks triumphant. "I just… I've been thinking lately that maybe I should… I don't know. Focus on the present. Jess is gone and it's pretty clear she's not coming back. I have to come to terms with that. And Lucy… she's here. Now."

"That's pretty smooth, dude. You should tell Lucy that." Rufus smiles knowingly.

Wyatt smiles sadly, glancing down at his phone. It bursts into life in his hand, Lucy's name flashing up on the screen. He almost drops it in his haste and desperation to answer.

"Lucy? Where are you? Are you ok?" Relief and urgency flood his face as he jumps out of his chair and frantically paces the room.

"I'm here. I'm fine." She breathes into the phone, and he can almost feel her smile.

Wyatt closes his eyes, and lets out a long, pent-up sigh he didn't even realize he was holding on to. He won't be entirely convinced this is real until he sees her with his own eyes. "Where are you?" he repeats, reaching for his keys already.

"I'm at your apartment. But you're not here, so I guess-"

"Stay right there. I'm on my way, ok?" He doesn't question why she's there and not at home, or where Flynn is, or what happened with Ethan – he just wants to see her, needs to see her, to wrap his arms around her and make sure she's back on solid ground.

He fills Rufus in and bids him farewell, making him promise to text him about Jiya's progress. It's all he can do not to fly out of the hospital (he takes the stairs two at a time) and not run every red light he comes across. When he reaches his building, she's sat on the front step waiting for him, looking off into the distance and lost in thought. He's surprised to find her dressed in regular street-clothes and not her Jackie-O blue number from the '50s. She looks tired, but when she spots him jogging up to her, the smile that lights up her face threatens to split it in two. She flings herself into his open arms and grips him so tightly he briefly wonders if a few of his ribs might crack (he doesn't care, she's here). He hugs her to him, breathing her in, one hand cradling the back of her head.

They pull back slightly and she takes his face in her hands, not quite believing he's in front her either, tears pricking her eyes. "Hi," she breathes, her smile still engulfing her face.

"Hi." He says quietly, still unwilling to let go. They hug for another long minute before they finally release each other, laughing in disbelief that they've made it back to one another in one piece.

When they're in Wyatt's apartment she lets him in on the finer details – the plan that she and Flynn made with Ethan, how it will have come to fruition if Ethan has held up his end of the bargain, how they'll need to find him in the present. When she and Flynn had landed in the present she'd borrowed some of Emma's clothes and when she'd left where they stashed the Mothership she couldn't think of where else to go. Mason Industries was crawling with Rittenhouse and it was easier not to face her mother in light of the endless unanswerable questions she'd no doubt have fired at her (about both her unexplained absences and her broken engagement, which her Mom would have heard about by now since apparently she and Noah were good friends). So here she was, on his doorstep. As Lucy recounted the last few hours to him, his eyes never left her, convinced if he did so she'd disappear again.

She stays the night. They're both exhausted and wired at the same time, but she doesn't want to go home and lie to her mother when they still haven't completed their mission. It would seem weird, she argues, to go home and pretend to her Mom that everything was fine, and then get up in the morning to go and take down a gigantic shadow criminal organization. Wyatt doesn't argue, relieved he can keep her within reach. He's unsettled by how much leaving her in 1954 has rattled him, and with a pang he realizes just how much he's missed her.

He's a perfect gentleman, of course, and insists she take the bed whilst he sleeps on the couch. Because although he's 90% sure he's going to grow a pair and have a conversation with her at some point about focusing on the present and mentioning something about possibilities – he hasn't worked out the specifics yet – now's not the time. They're both beyond tired, and there are still things that need to be done to take down Rittenhouse. They can talk about that later.

It's a tempting prospect, however, knowing Lucy is just on the other side of his closed bedroom door. He can see it from where he's lying on the couch. He contemplates going to check on her, just to reassure himself that she's really here, really safe, that he hasn't just dreamt it all. Without thinking about what he's doing, or what he'll even do when he gets there, he's standing outside the door, knocking gently. He opens it a crack when he doesn't get an answer (she's a notorious daydreamer when she's distracted he's discovered) and finds she's already asleep. And who can blame her? It's been a stressful day. She's curled up under his sheets, one of his plaid shirts engulfing her slight frame, and looking peaceful for the first time in Wyatt doesn't know how long. He'd told her to help herself to whatever she wanted to sleep in, and he finds it completely adorable (and more than a little attractive) that she's wrapped up in one of his shirts of all things, a half-smile on his face as her gazes at her. He wants nothing more than to curl up next to her and pull her to him, to wrap his arms around her and keep her safe forever.

The thought smacks him in the chest as he closes the door quietly behind him and settles himself back on the couch. He doesn't want to say goodbye. And goodbye is surely coming if they succeed in taking down Rittenhouse. Wyatt pushes the thought away as he drifts into sleep. In the morning he and Lucy have to track down Ethan and see if their gamble has paid off.

"Ah, the Lifeboat will be charged and ready to go in three hours, my friends."

"Agent Christopher, excellent, if I could just get you to-" Mason blusters into the glass paneled boardroom just off the balcony where a slightly embarrassed Lucy and Wyatt are stood. He catches sight of the look of flat annoyance on Denise's face as he fiddles with the iPad in his hands. "…what?" he queries slowly, not quite cottoning on.

Agent Christopher is mid-way through filling out yet another document, pen poised mid-signature as she regards Connor Mason. "I think you may have just interrupted something important." She comments, nodding to the two thirds of the Time Team out on the balcony.

"I'm sorry?" He turns to see Wyatt's hands shoved in his pockets, as he and Lucy laugh and don't quite meet each other's eyes. "…Ah. I see. Yes, well… oh dear. Should I go back and apologize, do you think? A bit of moral support?"

Agent Christopher smirks, returning to her paperwork. "I'm sure they'll get there on their own without your help, Mr Mason."

They watch as Lucy fondly bids Wyatt farewell, grazing his arm with her fingertips as she leaves, his eyes following after her. "Yes. Quite. This does mean I'm closer to winning the pool, though," Mason mutters to himself.

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing. Just a little wager some of the staff and I have regarding Ms Preston and Mr Logan."

"By 'some of the staff', I take it you mean Rufus and Jiya?" Denise comments, narrowing her eyes at a guilty looking Mason.

He rocks back on his heels. "Perhaps. Would you care to partake, Agent Christopher?"

"Absolutely not, Mr Mason." She sighs. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have more important things to attend to."

Connor is in his office down the hall when he receives a text from her thirty minutes later asking him to put her down for $50 and a selection of potential dates on the upcoming calendar if they're still available.

FIN

(a/n) I absolutely love 1x16, it's one of my favourite episodes of the entire season, but there were parts I wondered how things happened, and thus, these potential missing moments formed in my mind. Why did Noah question Lucy about Wyatt when they were breaking up, where did they get their change of clothes in the 50s, what happened when Lucy landed back in the present with Flynn? I wanted answers, so I wrote them myself. Some of them are funny, and some of them are angsty, but I think they could all potentially fit and explain some in-between-scenes moments. I hope you enjoyed and as always, reviews are much appreciated and make me mega happy :)