Chapter Two (Lucy)

"At the end of the day, it's about how much you can bear, how much you can endure. Being together, we harm nobody; being apart, we extinguish ourselves." - Tabitha Suzuma

"Absence is to love what wind is to fire; it extinguishes the small, it inflames the great." - Roger de Rabutin de Bussy

Standing in front of the mirror, Lucy's hands trembled as she struggled to fasten the thin black tie around her neck. Her mother would be here soon to unlock the door of her hotel room, and likely displeased if Lucy wasn't ready. Gazing somberly at her reflection, her hands stilled as a wave of deja vu came over her–so pervasive it nearly made her dizzy. If she closed her eyes and concentrated hard enough, Lucy could almost imagine that instead of 2017, it was December of 1944. She and the team were holed up in a charming inn located in a remote village in Germany, collaborating with WWII spy and future James Bond author, Ian Fleming (of all people).

Even most of her attire was eerily similar to that mission: a white blouse, dull-colored uniform jacket, the black tie. The only real difference was her hair and makeup. Well, that, and of course, the absence of Wyatt Logan leaning on the arm of a chair gazing at her with calm blue eyes, patiently listening as she shared with him the details of her near death experience when she was twenty years old, something that she rarely had over the years. The 1944 mission had been the first one where Lucy felt like she and Wyatt were beginning to connect with each other.

She smiled wistfully even as fresh pain seared her heart that she'd inadvertently allowed the Wyatt 'compartment' to slip open. Early on in her captivity, she had decided that in order to preserve her sanity and cope with her frightening new reality, she would compartmentalize her feelings. She had neatly filed away just about every facet of her former life into little mental compartments for the time being, and naturally, Wyatt's was the largest and most important. She missed him so desperately, even more than her little sister, and did her best every day to bravely endure their forced separation. This was a task made all the more difficult by the fact that she had no idea where Wyatt and Rufus were at the present time.

Her eyes dropped unwillingly, almost compulsively, to the slightly dog-eared newspaper article lying on the dresser in front of her and the headline that had struck terror in her heart from the moment she'd first laid eyes on it six weeks ago.

"Explosion at Mason Industries, 22 Presumed Dead..."

The blunt, bare-boned pronouncement still had the ability to thoroughly shake Lucy to her core. 22 Dead... 22 Dead... Just one number and one small word–yet together, evoked images powerful enough to threaten Lucy's increasingly tenuous grip on her true reality. While she hadn't made the acquaintance of many of the employees at the Mason facility (the government tended to keep a tight lid on covert operations such as honest-to-God time travel), there were a handful of people that Connor Mason trusted not to betray their secrets, and it broke her heart to think about who might have perished in the explosion.

Like Daniel and Trevor, the wardrobe guys who looked after their costumes so well, never complaining when Wyatt's were invariably returned bloody and nearly ruined; Vince, Connor's driver slash bodyguard, a big bear of a black man with a soft spot for the team; Mary Ann, the taciturn receptionist who guarded their privacy so faithfully. Lucy recalled seeing various other people constantly bustling around the platform before and after missions, but she'd yet been introduced to many of them ("and probably never would now," her mind supplied regretfully).

And then there were the people she and Wyatt and Rufus had come to know very well, members of the team's extended family: super smart and funny Jiya, by-the-book NSA Agent Denise Christopher, and Connor Mason himself. Jiya had, on more than one occasion, jokingly referred to the three of them as the "B" team. As painful as it was for her to contemplate the death of any or all three, that reflection paled in comparison to the sheer agony of possibly losing Wyatt and Rufus. Her teammates, her friends, and, yes, family, and in the case of a certain Master Sergeant, the other half of Lucy's heart.

Taking a deep breath, she braced her hands on the dresser and firmly reminded herself once again that there was no way in hell Wyatt was dead, despite Carol's confident claims to the contrary. Her mother seemed to take spiteful pleasure in reminding Lucy every so often that few remnants of her life from before remained, emphasizing in particular a certain Delta Force operative.

Lucy's lips twisted sardonically at the word 'mother.' She'd quickly discovered that this time line's version of Dr. Carol Preston was a soulless monster bent on destroying everything she didn't care for or approve of. And it was made abundantly clear to Lucy, as early as the first day of her captivity, the Rittenhouse matriarch absolutely did not care for, or approve of, Master Sergeant Wyatt Logan, including any degree of influence he might have on her formerly dutiful daughter. "Oh, Wyatt, you have no idea that the greatest threat to Rittenhouse and their evil plans is apparently your relationship with me, the long-lost Rittenhouse princess," Lucy thought bitterly.

Flashback

Unfortunately for Lucy, her mother had suspected (correctly, as it turned out) months before today that her only child might be developing strong feelings for a man the historian personally considered barely good enough to scrape mud from the bottom of Lucy's shoes. As early as the second day, Carol had begun an insidious effort to wrest Lucy not only physically away from Wyatt, but emotionally as well, beginning with the reintroduction of Noah into Lucy's life (such as it was, what with the whole being held against her will thing).

After letting Carol's bombshell revelations bounce around her confused mind for a couple seconds, Lucy had wordlessly turned and walked away from her, intent only on escape. Oddly enough, after getting as far as the front door, she really hadn't been all that surprised after pulling the door open to find the handsome doctor standing there. "Well, damn, how did I not see that coming?" was her first thought, followed instantly by the realization that she might be in serious trouble here.

"Hello, Lucy," he said evenly, "How's my beautiful but unfaithful fiancé today? You know, even though all the warning signs were right there in front of me, I couldn't believe it. But then, I knew as soon as I saw you with him, that he was the reason you dumped me."

In spite of an encroaching sense of the danger she was in, Lucy couldn't help rolling her eyes (C'mon, really? The jealous fake fiancé was Rittenhouse, too? This is like a cheesy, low-budget movie) before attempting to duck past him. Whoops. Big-time wrong move on her part. Noah immediately grabbed her upper arm, aggressively squeezing her bicep to the point of pain. Seeing Lucy's involuntary wince, his eyes gleamed with malicious satisfaction when she began to struggle in vain to free herself. Leaning uncomfortably close to her, he sneered near her ear, "Well, well, aren't you just the little tigress. I bet your dumb grunt of a soldier thinks that's hot."

The ugly smirk was soon knocked off his face by Lucy's angry response. "You're not even fit to breathe the same air as a real man like Wyatt Logan," she hissed defiantly, only to choke back a whimper when his iron grip on her arm tightened cruelly. Stubbornly holding back tears of pain and fear, Lucy was surprised to hear her mother's calm, patronizing voice.

"That's enough, Noah. No need to manhandle my daughter. I'm sure that once Lucy has a chance to digest all of the information, she will make the right choice. After all, it's not every day a person learns of their great destiny." Giving her arm one last vicious twist, Noah removed his hand, but not before running his finger down Lucy's cheek. She immediately recoiled from the intimate touch, pleased at the flash of anger in the doctor's eyes at her rejection. Staring up at him, Lucy wondered how she could have ever thought this man was attractive. His good looks were nothing more than a thin veneer over an ugly soul.

"Certainly, Dr. Preston," he smoothly replied. "Perhaps Lucy would like to go upstairs and freshen up before dinner," he suggested with a polite smile.

Lucy couldn't help the incredulous laugh that escaped when her mother nodded agreeably. "You're both crazy if you think I'm going to stay here and be a part of this insanity," and turned back toward the front door.

"Ah, ah, dear Lucy, not a good idea," Noah scolded lightly, pulling a gun from his jacket pocket and pointing it at her. Lucy's eyes widened in horrified disbelief before swinging her gaze to her mother, who merely shrugged unconcernedly.

"Come now, Lucy, don't be willfully obtuse." The older woman sighed. "In case you are deliberately trying to misunderstand what is happening here, you are with us now. There's a very bright future ahead of you, and I'm sure once you settle down and carefully consider everything, you will make the right choice." Ignoring the shocked expression on her daughter's face, Carol directed Noah to put away the gun before instructing Lucy to go upstairs.

End Flashback

Even six weeks later, it was hard to believe everything that happened the first night. Lucy had fled up the steps, desperate to find a way out. Hurrying into her room, she slammed the door shut before locking it. Her heart was pounding so hard, she was getting light headed. Lucy had only one thought–Wyatt. She had to talk to Wyatt. He would come for her and keep her safe from all this madness. Frantically patting her pockets, Lucy's heart sank when she realized her phone was in her bag, which, unfortunately, was on the kitchen counter (God, this was turning into a real nightmare).

Little did she know it was only the beginning. An hour or so passed before her mother knocked on the door to announce dinner was ready. Lucy ignored her and resumed pacing around the room. "Lucy, unlock the door and come downstairs," Carol ordered patiently. As she stood watching, Lucy could see the door knob turn slightly.

"Leave me alone! I'm not hungry," Lucy shouted at the door rather childishly.

Uneasy at the thought of another confrontation with her mother, she was vaguely relieved when Carol merely responded, "As you wish," before moving away from the door. Her relief was short-lived, however, since she was still basically trapped in this room, with no way to escape. Obviously the situation was less than ideal. Every time Lucy looked out her bedroom windows, which faced the street, she saw the same two nondescript dark sedans parked in front of the house. Apparently, her mother had called in reinforcements, likely supplied by Rittenhouse.

Over the course of the next few hours, Lucy fought to control her rising fear and panic. Not only that, she was well aware that by now, Wyatt must be frantic with worry at the lack of communication from her. She consoled herself that the others would look out for him, especially Jiya. Curling up on her bed fully clothed, an emotionally exhausted Lucy finally dozed off just before dawn. She woke unexpectedly at a knock on the door.

Trying to calm her racing heart, she looked over at the door and noticed something had been slid under it. Curious, Lucy climbed off the bed and bent down to see a newspaper. It had been opened and folded back to a specific article. As she began to scan the paper, Lucy gasped loudly in stunned confusion and dropped to her knees in front of the door. Her weary, already traumatized mind couldn't seem to comprehend what she was seeing. The headline on the paper read, "Explosion at Mason Industries, 22 Presumed Dead." The shock and pain at the news was so intense that Lucy's vision started to white out around the edges, and she began to hyperventilate.

And then, seemingly out of nowhere, she heard Wyatt's deep voice in her head, as plainly as if he were right beside her. "Easy there, Lucy, slow it down, just breathe." Her eyes filled with tears, so great was her longing for him at that moment. "Hey, c'mon now, no tears. It's gonna be alright, just breathe. Can you do that for me, Professor?" She nodded involuntarily, and almost smiled at the absurd idea that she was responding to a voice in her head. But of course, this wasn't just any random voice–it was his.

Taking a deep, calming breath, at that moment, Lucy knew in her heart with absolute certainty that despite the ominous newspaper story, Wyatt wasn't dead. And if he survived, she would bet the others had also. After what he had gone through in Syria, there was no way in hell Wyatt would leave another team behind to perish. As ruthless as Rittenhouse could be, there was definitely the distinct possibility the team had gone into hiding. At that realization, a welcome feeling of peacefulness washed over her. Lucy hoped fervently that all of their little 'family' was safe for the time being.

Picking up the newspaper, she folded it carefully and sank down on the bed. Sighing deeply, Lucy asked herself what would Wyatt want her to do. After a few minutes of quiet contemplation, she smiled in satisfaction as an idea came to her. Although it was unlikely now that Wyatt would be coming for her anytime soon, Lucy had no doubt whatsoever that he would eventually find her. So until then, she'd have to be brave and smart and resourceful. And what better way to take advantage of her precarious situation than to secretly gather evidence on the inside against Rittenhouse?

Despite a certain danger involved, all she needed to do was be careful, stay strong, and somehow fool her mother. "That was probably easier said than done," Lucy thought uneasily. Okay, so it wasn't a perfect plan, but it was all she had-it would have to do. Rittenhouse had declared war on Lucy and her team, which meant she was a 'soldier in the field' now, so no freaking out, she told herself sternly. A pleased smile grew on her face as Wyatt's faint Texas drawl praised, "That's my girl." Well, maybe she wasn't technically his girl yet, but when this whole Rittenhouse 'world domination' deal was over, Lucy was damn sure going to remedy that.

And from that morning on, Lucy had done her very best to submerge herself as deeply as possible in her mother's (and father's) world without losing her very soul. It became the greatest acting performance of her life. It wasn't easy, and at times, her enforced isolation and feelings of doubt nearly overpowered her.

Like when during the evening of her first full day of imprisonment, her mother and Noah drugged Lucy while the Rittenhouse base of operations was moved to a new location. One minute, she was sitting at the dining room table, trying to absorb as much information as she could without raising any red flags when she felt a sharp sting on the back of her neck. The room instantly started spinning and her limbs grew heavy. Before she completely succumbed to the effects of the strong sedative, Lucy heard Carol tell her, "Please don't struggle, Lucy, remember it's all for the greater good."

When she came to, Lucy was lying on a bed in a strange room. "How would Wyatt find her now?" she worried, before briefly giving in to fear and crying softly in despair. Seconds later, she was reassured by Wyatt's voice, "Alright now, Professor, that's enough crying. Time to be brave and smart. I will find you, I promise, no matter where you are, just hang on." and she was immediately comforted and even more determined to see this through. Lucy was playing a very dangerous long game now, and not only was she fighting for her future with Wyatt, but for everyone else's as well.

Each day seemed to be more mentally exhausting than the one before. Lucy hadn't spent this much time with her mother since she was a small child. She smiled grimly to herself when Wyatt's voice helpfully pointed out that, technically, Lucy hadn't spent much time at all with this Carol Preston. The quick flash of pain at hearing his voice was always worth it, though, because it was her lifeline, the one thread tethering her to this bizarre new world she found herself in. Ironic, sure, but she merely shrugged and resolved to worry about her mental health once she and Wyatt were reunited–and they would be some day. She believed with her whole heart that he would never stop looking for her.

Dr. Preston was extremely intelligent, and certainly no one's fool, and it was necessary in the beginning for Lucy to call upon every dubious shred of acting ability she might possess. But as the days turned into weeks, her mother's inherent arrogance began to assert itself, and any suspicion she might harbor concerning Lucy's loyalties started to dissipate, exactly as Lucy had hoped. However, Carol's newly-earned trust in her only went so far. On the rare occasion that her mother left the house, Lucy was less than thrilled with her replacement guard–a bitter, often angry, certain doctor and ex-fiance. That was always a special treat.

Alternating between pressuring Lucy to 'take him back' and taking snide pot shots at his perceived rival, Wyatt, Noah was so tiresome to be around that she was actually glad when Carol returned. Go figure. His whining was really getting on her nerves, and it was the same old annoying refrain over and over...

"I just don't understand you, Lucy. We are so amazing together, both smart, educated, attractive. Why are you being so difficult and selfish? It would be much easier for you to accept gracefully and embrace your heritage..."

That was usually about the time Lucy would zone out and allow herself the joy of thinking of Wyatt and all the little things she missed about him–those intense blue eyes and shy dimples, his dry sense of humor, and most importantly, the way he always made her feel safe (and loved). She never bothered to explain to Noah the whole 'I'm not your Lucy because of time travel' scenario, afraid of angering her mother and losing access to Rittenhouse secrets.

Lucy enjoyed a major breakthrough when Carol even began to include her in strategy sessions. She found and hoarded small scraps of paper on which to write down everything she was a witness to, in hopes of gathering enough evidence to ultimately destroy Rittenhouse. It had been an unpleasant surprise the first time Emma Whitmore showed up at the new base of operations. What a fool Garcia Flynn had been to retrieve Emma from 1882. Intent on his own agenda, he had blindly played right into their hands.

A couple weeks into her captivity, Lucy was forbidden to leave her room for most of a whole day. Pressing her ear to the door, Lucy thought she could hear the faint hum of several voices downstairs, and concluded something big must be happening. Fretting over the thought of missing out on some vital information, she paced around her room, hoping Carol trusted her enough by now to share. To her initial relief, the new plans were revealed to her that evening over dinner–and Lucy was stunned to learn of the truly despicable depths Rittenhouse was willing to go to achieve their 'vision' for the future.

Utilizing her formidable knowledge of history, her mother had carefully selected ten moments in time vulnerable to change. With no small amount of pride, she informed a dazed Lucy that soon, everything in the world would be as it should be. Sickened, she gazed at her mother in shock for a long moment before asking in a hoarse whisper, "And what is my role in all of this?"

She immediately regretted the question. The whole plan was so horrifying, so far reaching, that Lucy's resolve nearly faltered. As Carol began to list all the ambitious plans for the future, Wyatt's voice once more reminded her to stay focused and remember the mission. He was right. This was no time to panic, but an opportunity to accumulate as much damning information as she could. Wyatt, Rufus, Jiya, and the others were depending on her.

Taking Wyatt's words to heart, over the next month, Lucy perfected a bland, smiling expression that seemed to lull her mother into accepting her daughter's newfound allegiance to Rittenhouse while frantically gathering every scrap of intel she could. Finally, after six weeks had come and gone, Carol announced that all phases of the plan were near completion, and tomorrow, she and Lucy would accompany Emma on the mother ship to the last place and time in history necessary to finish it all.

When Lucy hesitantly asked when and where they were going, Carol had smiled condescendingly and advised her daughter to be patient. After a near sleepless night, Lucy woke to her mother entering her room with a long black garment bag and a shoe box. "Good morning, dear," Carol said pleasantly. "Hurry up now and get dressed, we've a very important day ahead of us." She had smiled weakly in response, her mind working furiously.

The minute she was alone, Lucy hastily unzipped the black bag. Examining the garments hung neatly within, she surmised they were circa 1918 or thereabouts, and she froze in dismay. That would be during WWI, around the time the United States sent masses of soldiers to Europe, mostly France and Germany. Lucy shuddered to think of traveling to an active war zone, but felt in some way that every day of the past six weeks she'd been kept a prisoner had been leading up to this.

Deep in her heart, she had hoped, for weeks now, that as brilliant as Rufus, Conner, and Jiya were, they had been able to not only fix the lifeboat somehow, but track the mother ship as well. This was it, then, for better or worse, the sign she had been subconsciously waiting for. Lucy was convinced that everything would come down to this jump, and she prayed for the strength to see her mission through to the very end. Wyatt would be counting on her, and if it was the very last thing Lucy ever did, she would not let him down.

"We are never separated. Our hearts are connected with a threadless garland called love." - Debasish Mridha

A/N: Whew! My goal was to finish this before the season two premiere-and I made it! (Barely, ha!) Very briefly, I want to note that Lucy hearing Wyatt's voice in her head is merely a coping mechanism for her, nothing more. Unlike Wyatt, who at least has a phone with pictures of Lucy on it, she has only her imagination to help her endure this traumatic period of time, and I say, 'whatever it takes' :)

Next, a big ole shout out to quertygal for her help with this chapter-you're the best, my Timeless friend :))

Finally, I want to thank my fellow authors who have provided me and other Timeless fans with countless hours of entertainment during the ridiculously LONG hiatus between season one and season two. I think we all helped each other get through a whole YEAR without our beloved time team. Here's looking forward to not only an amazing new season of Timeless, but LOTS of inspiration for new stories to enjoy. P.S. Thanks for your continued support over the past 9 months...I'm so proud to be a part of such a wonderful fandom :))