Chapter Text
Flynn sat at the far end of his room reading. The selection of books in the bunker were limited and frankly he needed to separate himself from Lucy's journal. Recent conversations had reminded him that as much as he knew Lucy from her writings, his image of her had formed only one small part, his mind had created the rest of what he expected and imagined. Having spent time around the real Lucy, he was refreshed to know that she was much like the Journal Lucy, but she was also so much more. The close living quarters, even if he was isolated from the rest of the Time Team, understandably so, was distracting.
He did not need distractions right now, not when he was finally getting closer to ending Rittenhouse, albit slower than he'd like. But more importantly Lucy didn't need any more distractions. Wyatt and his wife were more than enough. Then you had to consider the stress her own mother was caused. Lucy was showing the signs of PTSD from her time with Rittenhouse.
He had no doubt that her mother would not let anything happen to her physically, but Rittenhouse was not above utilizing brainwashing and conditioning techniques. Lucy was strong, that much was evident when Rufis let it slip that when they found her, she was willing to sacrifice herself in order to prevent Rittenhouse from getting the Mothership, Carol, or Emma back.
When he found what happened he wanted to blame Wyatt for letting her out of his sight, for not protecting her, not doing his job. But it wasn't Wyatt's fault, no matter how easy of a target he might be, he was only one man. The only person he could blame was himself.
He should have doublebacked and checked to make sure the Agency hadn't put a tail on Lucy. He knew better. He was trained better. But in his excitement to both see Lucy and get his family back, he was distracted. That distraction got him arrested. Worse, that distraction left Lucy unprotected.
He sighed deeply and closed the book and held it tightly between his plams as he closed his eyes and forced his worries to the back of his mind. He slowly let out his breath, opened his eyes, and opened the book again.
He had found a book on the War of 1812. It was very definitely not written by an American but the author, he flipped the book to see the cover a moment, Pierre Berton had done his best to deliver a neutral telling of the history. Flynn could respect that.
He was just transitioning between the Americans burning down the Library in York, to the British's reply of marching to Washington. He knew little of this event and found himself leaning forward in his chair to find out what happened next.
His door swung open and without looking up he scowled, putting a finger to mark the place as he closed the thick book a seccond time today. When he looked up, he was surprised to find Lucy standing before him, midway in his room. He had expected Agent Christopher, not Lucy. The scowel fell from his lips, but he carefully schooled a non-expression as he leaned back.
"Knocking is considered polite." He said slowly, meeting her eyes. He regretted his tone immediately.
"You need to hide me!" Lucy's eyes were looking everywhere, she looked panicked, on edge, and was shaking.
Flynn was out of his chair before he even realized he moved. He had his door closed, and slid the heavy bolt into place. The steel door would withstand a police issue battering ram for about ten minutes. Enough time to get Lucy out and to safety. He turned back to her and she hadn't moved. He put his hands on her shoulders and turned her to face him. He was reminded once again just how much shorter she was than himself, even more so bare foot as she was.
"Lucy. I need you to tell me how many there are out there. Can you do that?"
She blinked, her eyes focusing on him as she cocked her head to the side. "How many? One."
"One?" He paused. One was definitely not a Rittenhouse invasion. "Who?" He clarified slowly.
"Jessica." Lucy took an unsteady breath in. "She wants me to help her plan the baby shower."
Flynn let the stress melt from his shoulders and allowed him mouth to twitch into a small smile. "Jessica? You are running from Jessica. What's to stop her from looking here for you?"
Lucy was having none of his amusement as she slapped his shoulder and strode fiercely to the chair he had just occupied and dropped into it. "You are."
"And what am I going to to do with the pregnant woman?"
Lucy stiffened.
"Poor choice of words I see, I apologize."
"Everyone is afraid of you, if they're not afraid, they're at least wary and give you your space. I doubt she'll come here looking for me."
"And if she does?" He allowed his smile to grow more. Lucy avoiding Jessica and Wyatt was entirely understandable. The sudden announcement of her pregnancy could not have come at a worse or more suspicious time. He held his reservations to himself, no need to stress Lucy more than necessary.
"Scowl. That usually works to keep everyone at bay, doesn't it?"
"Doesn't seem to stop you any."
Her face softened into self-consciousness. "Did you want it to?"
"Yours is a company I prefer even to my own." He smiled quickly at her and exhaled through his nose slowly when he saw her relax again. He stood in the middle of the room where she had been when she entered and watched as Lucy looked around and found the book he had been reading. She hefted the large, paperback book up from the floor, regarded it thoughtfully before turning her gaze on him. He could have stayed there for hours, under that gaze.
"A little light reading?" She teased.
He shrugged. "It was something to pass the time while Rufus tinkered with the Lifeboat, Jiya reprogrammed the systems, and Wyatt did whatever it is he does these days." He waved his hand passively. "It's not like I've been collecting social invitations."
"Sorry. I guess we've all been caught up in our own lives lately."
"Don't apologize for what you are not responsible for." Flynn looked around and decided, finally, to sit on the foot of his bed. "I haven't exactly made an effort myself."
They sat in a comfortable silence. Flynn casually staring at the wall while watching Lucy from the corner of his eye as she paged through his book.
"May I borrow this when you're done?"
"You can have it now if you'd like, so long as you promise to return it."
"No. No, you read it, I am still trying to catch up on the latest historical changes." She sighed loudly and leaned back in the chair. "If they had told me I basically had to re-earn my history degree after every trip, I wouldn't have taken the job."
"Surely it's not all bad."
"No. There are some good aspects to the job. Like-"
A knocking on the door interrupted Lucy and deeply annoyed Flynn. Not simply for the interruption, he was curious of her answer, but because she suddenly looked frantic and stiffened up again.
Flynn put on his best scowl and winked at Lucy as he got up and approached the door. He slowly unbolted the door, allowing the steel on steel to scrape and scream. He opened the door just wide enough for his size to dwarf the gap and said nothing.
Jessica stood on the other side trying to look past him into the room but his height prevented her seeing anything past the sweater he had put on earlier. "Uh, have you seen Lucy?"
"Why would I have seen Lucy, did you misplace her?" His tone dry and humourless.
"I, uh, wanted her help with some stuff. Jiya's busy, Agent Christopher is scary, and Lucy is the only other lady here."
Flynn hummed a noncommittal sound. "Perhaps your Wyatt could assist you? Lucy is most likely elbow deep in research right now and considering her knowledge is what keeps Rufus and I alive, I'd rather her not have her interrupted." He narrowed his eyes pointedly. "Wherever she is."
"And Wyatt."
He paused, not following. "And Wyatt what?"
"Lucy's knowledge keeps Wyatt alive too." Her voice came back smaller, quieter.
Flynn couldn't resist, he raised a brow at her. "I could care less about Wyatt." And with that Flynn closed and bolted the door. He took a quiet breath, listening for any sounds from Lucy as he turned.
She sat still in his chair, her feet tucked up under her body, book closed on her lap, grinning. The nerve that was subconsciously wound tight released itself and Flynn crossed his arms and leaned against the door, a pleased smile tight on his lips. "Enjoying yourself, are you?"
"Absolutely! She may want to seek medical attention though." Lucy grinned wider.
"Whatever for?"
She raised a surprised brow. "For that burn you just delivered."
He let out a small chuckle. "I could have been nicer."
"That was perfect, you are officially my hero."
It was Flynn's turn to raise a brow. "Chastising a niëve woman earns me the title of hero?"
"No," she shook her head as she untucked herself and climbed off the chair and walked towards him. "You saved me from the inevitable horror of baby showers, girl things, and spending time with my ex's wife." She stopped in front of him, her brows knitting together.
"Is he even your ex if it was just a one night thing?" Flynn said, barely above a whisper.
She looked at him, deep in thought. "No. No, he really isn't. But there is, was, just so much charged emotion for me where Wyatt is involved. I know I can't deal with it and give Jessica what she needs, it wouldn't be fair."
He wasn't prepared for her to hurl herself into his chest and hug him. So surprised that it took him a moment to wrap his arms around her petite frame. She wasn't crying. She was wasn't screaming. She wasn't anything except hugging him.
"Lucy," he said slowly. "Is everything okay?"
"Yes, why?"
"Because you're hugging me of your own free will. I was concerned you'd been replaced by a body snatcher."
She released him as if she was suddenly afraid of the contact. He loosened his hold on her a bit, but did not let go. "I'm not complaining, I'm just not used to being wanted any more, not for something as mundane as a hug. Usually it's to subdue people these days." He waited for her to decide if she wanted to break away from him.
"And coffee." She curled her arms up and tucked them between their chests and she leaned into him again.
"Now Lucy, honestly, is everything okay?"
"Yes. No. Sort of? Not really." She couldn't decide.
"Do you need to talk?" He paused, debating if he should offer her more. He was unsure where the line was between the two of them and he did not want to scare her away. If he did, where else did she have to go that wasn't vodka? "Or we could stand here quietly."
He was rewarded by a small laugh vibrate from Lucy into his chest. She tilted her head back to look up at him, studying who knows what about him before putting her face against his chest again.
"Standing it is."
They stood like that for a while. She tucked into him, smaller than usual, while he held her and gently rubbed her back. He used to hold Iris like this when she had a bad day or a nightmare. There was nothing but support in their embrace right now and that was fine. Lucy needed support and if could offer it to her, he was happy to do so. Eventually he took a breath and broke their comfortable silence.
"I have worked for NSA for many years before Rittenhouse was even an unnamed interest for me. I large part of my job is classified, but I had to do a number of questionable things in order to get the job done. So I knew, in the long run, Iris and Lorena would be safe at home." He didn't look down at the top of Lucy's head, instead gazed unseeing out the frosted windows to his right. "Part of asset training is how to deal with torture, kills, and near death experiences."
She stiffened under her arms, her breath careful and controlled.
"As much as I hate to admit it, but Agent Christopher, Wyatt and I are the most qualified people in the bunker for when you're ready to talk. You really should talk." He gave her a gentle squeeze. "When you are ready." He felt her nod into his chest.
Eventually Lucy stirred and he let her step back from him, cold air flooding in to fill where her warmth had been.
"Do you, uh, mind if I sat down?" She glanced at his bed. He nodded and watched her gingerly sit on the edge near the middle, the springs creaking at her light weight.
"How do you deal with knowing you're born into a Bond level villainous organization that wants to change history? Fighting for your family back? While coming to grips that your mother is trying to get you killed after kidnapping and trying to brainwash you?" Lucy let her face drop into her palms as her elbows rested on her knees.
Flynn grabbed the spare blanket off the shelf. He never used it, but was very glad for its existence as he wrapped the rough wool around Lucy's shoulders and pulled her against him as he sat down beside her. It was worse than he initially suspected. Her journal never made any mention of her time in Rittenhouse, he assumed because she hadn't been kidnapped in the other timeline, but possibly because she didn't know how to deal with it.
"Talking or screaming usually helps. When it's really bad, hitting things works well. I'm a personal fan of brooding." She smiled. "But whatever you do, you need to get it out. Bottling it up will only make it worse, and you'll crack. Usually when in the middle of a situation."
She said nothing for a long while, and then suddenly everything just spilled out. The kidnapping, the manipulation, Noah, Wyatt, Jessica, the stress of being the historian and trying to preserve history. Trying to stop Rittenhouse, save her sister, save his family. He was surprised the last was one of the things she was overwhelmed by, but the next one made his heart stop.
"I was willing to die to stop Mom. How do I move past that?"
His lungs stopped working. Lucy. His Lucy was going to make the ultimate sacrifice and it was because he hadn't been around to protect her.
"Slowly. One step at a time, they don't have to be big steps, they just have to be in the right direction."
"I don't even know what direction that is any more." That's when she finally cried. At first it was just silent tears running down her face, until she hiccuped. That seemed to break the dam and everything she held in just flooded out.
Flynn said nothing but wrapped an arm around her and tucked her into his shoulder. As the sobs subsided, Lucy's breathing evened out and she fell asleep with her head on his shoulder. When she didn't move, he gently laid her down in the bed as he got up, tucked her feet up, and covered her with the blanket. He stood silently and watched her sleep, the steady in and out of her breath even and relaxed. She looked peaceful and unstressed for a change.
He quietly unbolted the door, knowing where to put the pressure to prevent the screaming of steel, and left, gently pulling the door shut. He made his way to the kitchen, put on a fresh out of coffee and went to the main hanger where the Lifeboat was. Rufus was laying under the time machine while Jiya was typing rapidly away on a keyboard.
"I need a favour."
Jiya jumped, put her hand on her chest. "Do you have any setting other than stealth mode!"
His lips twitched in amusement. "No. And I still need a favour."
That had her attention. "From me? I'm not helping you steal the Lifeboat."
"I only steal Motherships." She laughed a little. "Lucy is asleep in my room, don't ask, I'm not going to explain. But she is finally sleeping for what seem like the first time in a long time. When you turn in for the night, can you please stop by and collect her?"
"Uh Rufus and I were planning..." Her voice trailed off.
"Lucy needs a night in her own bed, some place familiar, with people who care about her, and she is comfortable around. She has been under a lot of stress and it's taking its toll on her. Last thing she needs is another night in that sorry excuse for a couch."
Jiya nodded. "Sure Flynn, I'll knock when we're done for the night."
"That's all I ask." Flynn turned and left, but not before hearing Rufus ask about his unusual appearance. No doubt Jiya would tell him about his equally unusual behaviour.
He poured himself a mug of coffee from the freshly ground pot and returned to his room, passing Wyatt in the hall. Wyatt opened his mouth to say something, closed it again as they passed.
"Flynn." Wyatt apparently couldn't keep it closed.
Flynn's muscles coiled out of conditioned habit as he turned to face the younger man. "What?"
"Have you seen Lucy? Jessica was looking for her but none of us have seen her all day."
"Have you spoken to Agent Christopher? Perhaps she awarded Lucy with a day pass for good behaviour?" A genuine scowl deepened the creases of his mouth. "Why would you bother asking me?"
"Because," he faultered a moment, his voice coming out stronger the second start. "Because as much as I don't like you and disagree with your existence here, you always have an eye on her."
"You really do have a way with words, don't you?" He ignored the other man's request for information and continued the way he was going.
When he was safely in his room, he checked on Lucy again before picking up his book as he settled back in the chair, finding his spot and reading on.
Four hours later, Jiya gently knocked on his door. Flynn didn't want to wake Lucy again, just in case she couldn't fall back to sleep. So he carefully scooped her up, a skill learned from moving Iris off the couch when she'd fall asleep watching movies. And follows Jiya to their room.
Jiya turned down Lucy's bed and Flynn very carefully placed Lucy, his blanket, and all into the bed before pulling the extra blankets up and tucking her in. He nodded to Jiya and left. Rufus standing at the girl's door gaping at him.
"What happened to Flynn? He's being nice!"
"He's just taking care of Lucy." Jiya answered.
Flynn nodded to himself as he turned the corner and turned in for the night. As he lay on his side in his undersized bed, Flynn took a deep breath and was welcomed by Lucy's smell from his pillow. He was not going to get any rest tonight.