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Metal clangs through the small shaft of the bunker entrance as Lucy descends the ladder. On the last rung, her foot slips. She lets out a yelp as she stumbles backward into Garcia’s arms. Lucy laughs nervously as her other self’s husband guides her back to her feet. Smothering a smile, Garcia opens the heavy door to the bunker interior. The lights buzz overhead as the pair traverse the hallway to the common room.
Inside, Jiya and Connor work across from each other on laptops in the kitchenette. Rufus hunches over the keyboard on the platform near the lifeboat. When Garcia calls out a greeting, Rufus pushes back his chair and spins to return the sentiment before jogging down the steps. Lucy stops next to Jiya and Connor; Garcia continues past.
He leans in toward Rufus with open arms then freezes when the other man tenses and leans away. "Right." Garcia straightens his back. "Sorry, not my Rufus."
Rufus cocks his head. "You know what, for the man who saved my life, bring it in." He opens his arms wide, envelops Flynn in a hug, and releases after two pats on the back. "I never got the chance to thank you for saving my life. Knowing that someone traded theirs for mine has been kinda hard to live up to."
"My Rufus did thank me, but when you get your Garcia back, you should tell him."
"I will."
"Did you get everything you need?"
Rufus pulls a thumb drive out of his pocket before shoving it back in. "All the logs from Emma’s jumps in the mothership right here. If any of them correspond with her saving Amy, we’ll figure it out."
Behind Garcia, Wyatt strides in, stopping next to the group at the tables.
Rufus shifts his gaze to the new-comer. "So are we all friends, even you and Wyatt?"
"Yeah, we are."
"I have to ask." Rufus lowers his voice. "Does he try to get you to watch NASCAR too?"
Garcia grins. "All the time. He thinks if I just learn about the engines—"
"—you’ll like it." Rufus chuckles while his head bobs up and down. "Yeah. That’s Wyatt."
"Do you guys play poker?"
"Oh... His obvious bluffing?"
Garcia tosses his head back. "So obvious! You should stop letting him win. It makes him think he’s good at it."
"That’s kinda the point. Funnier for me that way." Rufus rubs the back of his neck. "It’s weird that you know that."
"We’ve known each other for a long time."
"I’m sorry I missed that."
Both men’s attention is diverted when Agent Christopher’s voice booms as she enters the room. "So Carol Preston and Nicholas Keynes are out of prison doing God knows what to rebuild their organization. Are you all sure you want to change back to that timeline?"
Lucy grimaces. "I know it’s a lot to ask, but it’s for my family."
"What about my family?"
Connor responds, "From the sounds of it, you and I are not nearly as dramatic as this lot. Our lives seem unaffected." He glances apologetically at Garcia. "Minus one former enemy turned friend."
"Lucy, as a federal agent, my duty is to protect this country. You know I can’t justify prioritizing two children above national security."
Lucy’s head drops, and she sweeps her hair back, preparing an argument. Garcia steps forward to object.
Before either can speak, Denise continues, "But if you change the timeline, nobody will ask me to justify it. So you had better succeed."
"Really?" Lucy’s eyes jump between the members of the group, trying to confirm they’ve heard the same. "It took me over an hour to convince you to let us go back for Garcia the first time."
"Technically, that was a different me, but you saved my children from being wiped from existence. I can at least return the favor. So how do we do it?"
Connor leans against the table behind him and crosses his arms. "Well, when we compared our timelines, we realized the main difference is that our Garcia Flynn returned from 2012, saved the team in 1848, and then they all returned to find Rufus alive and well in the bunker. Their Garcia didn’t come back. So if Rufus, Jiya, and Lucy stop him from returning to the team, it should restore the events of their timeline and allow them to rescue Garcia as well."
"Is there any risk we’ll botch the original mission? If Jessica survives, the timeline is right back at square one; Rufus dies, and Wyatt and Lucy go post-apocalyptic."
Rufus shakes his head. "Flynn told us everything that happened. Plus, we have the logs of exactly when and where he jumped, which is incredible by the way because in our timeline, they were corrupted. Which means the logs might actually have been affected by the paradox."
"What does that change?"
"Oh, nothing. Sorry. It’s just interesting. The point was we can take the lifeboat to exactly where Flynn landed five minutes after he arrived."
Garcia adds, "By then, I’ll be far enough away I won’t hear them land. I’ll have killed the Rittenhouse agent and be waiting for Jessica. They should reach me around the time she gets out of the car."
Lucy nods. "We wait, help Garcia back, set the autopilot on his lifeboat, and bring him with us to 2025."
"Then the four of us return to a timeline almost identical to the one we left," Rufus finishes.
"Five." Wyatt crosses his arms. "I’m coming, too."
"What? Wyatt, no." Lucy lifts her hand in front of him. "You’d replace our Wyatt, and you don’t know our daughters. You can’t do that to them."
"I’m not saying there won’t be issues. But what if there’s an agent Garcia didn’t run into because he wasn’t at that exact time and place? You need someone to protect you. Since obviously, he can't go, it has to be me."
"No, that’s not an option."
Rufus sneers. "Wyatt, I don’t know how your lifeboat works, but ours only seats four. There isn’t room."
"We’ll take two trips home. We’ve done it before."
"That’s a bad idea," Rufus responds. "You could have a seizure by the time we come back."
A new voice breaks through. "I’ll stay."
All heads turn to Jiya.
Wyatt raises an eyebrow. "You will?"
Rufus chops the air. "Absolutely not. You won’t remember anything from the last few weeks. Who knows, maybe more. We could end up exactly like after São Paulo. There’s no reason to risk it when we don’t need a soldier."
Jiya rests her hands on Rufus’ shoulders. "Wyatt should go with you." When Rufus opens his mouth to object, Jiya raises her finger. "Remember what happened last time I went to 2012? I only lasted ten minutes, and that was with the prototype chips that gave us more time. What if I can’t even last a few minutes? Even if I completely forget everything, you’ll be there to guide me through the visions until I remember. It’s less of a risk than going back."
Rufus groans and scrubs his hand over his head. "Right. Yeah."
"No, Wyatt is not coming with us." Lucy clenches her jaw as Wyatt makes his way to retrieve his gun. "Denise, can’t you order him to stay?"
"I can, but I won’t make this decision for him."
Lucy aims a pleading look at Garcia.
"Wyatt, you should think about this."
"I have." Wyatt meets Garcia’s gaze. "I may have to learn about my kids— and get used to the idea that I have them, but I’ll still be there for them. I know you will, too. So I’m not worried about them." Wyatt tucks his weapon away and turns to Lucy. "I’m sorry. I have to do this."
"Sorry, Lucy." Denise hardens her voice, leaving no room for argument. "If you want to go on this mission, Wyatt’s in."
Lucy’s lips tighten to a narrow line. "Fine."
Denise raises her arms to address the group. "I’d say I’ll see you all when you get back, but I won’t remember this conversation. So good luck."
Wyatt casts his eyes to the floor as he trudges up to Garcia. "It just hit me that if we get this right, I won’t see you again. This you anyway. I’m gonna miss you." Wyatt pulls his friend into a hug.
Garcia pats his back and pulls away. "Look at this as an opportunity to make friends with me all over again."
Swallowing the lump that threatens to crack his voice, Wyatt smirks and hangs his head. "How did you actually make it sound worse?"
Garcia laughs, then the smile falls from his lips. "Are you sure you’re okay with this? You don’t have to go."
"You know better than anyone why I have to."
Garcia leans in and places his hand on Wyatt’s shoulder. "Just promise me you won’t let anything happen to Lucy or her kids."
"I won’t."
"You’re sure?"
"Even if this trip goes wrong, I promise you I’ll find a way." Wyatt grabs his friend’s shoulder and wraps him in another hug before making his way up the ramp.
Jiya winds her arms around Rufus. "I know you don’t want me to tell you about my visions before your trips, but..." Rufus pulls away, and his brow furrows. Jiya squeezes his hand. "Trust Wyatt."
Rufus reluctantly agrees. Jiya plants a lingering kiss on his lips before making her way to the computers as Rufus follows Wyatt into the lifeboat.
Lucy approaches Garcia. "Is it bad that I’m still not ready to go?" She clasps her hands and gazes down. "I’m sorry that you…" Her voice trails away, leaving silence hanging.
"Will have the last seven years wiped out." One side of his lips tick upward. "Not how I hoped to spend my Sunday, but it’s worth it for you." Garcia hands Lucy two photos. "Keep these for me."
The top photo has Garcia and Lucy in the center. She’s wearing a white gown; he’s in a black tuxedo. Wyatt, Rufus, and Connor stand next to Garcia, all four dressed in dark suits with burgundy carnations on their lapels. Next to Lucy are Amy, Jiya, and Denise, wearing dark red dresses. Lucy bites her lower lip to still a quiver.
She shuffles the top photo behind the other to reveal the image of her, Amy, and their mother. She covers her mouth with one hand and squeezes her eyes shut as they begin to well.
"This used to be in my living room. After I lost Amy, I would lay awake at night, wishing I could see it one more time."
Garcia places a hand on her shoulder. "I know."
She wipes her eyes. "I don’t think I can do this."
He squeezes her shoulder and leans closer to her height. "Go save me, Lucy."
Lucy swallows and holds the photos to her chest. Raising on her toes, she places a peck at the corner of his lips before turning to leave. He watches her climb into the lifeboat, never taking his eyes off her as the door closes.
###
The time machine pops into existence in 2012 in the middle of a brush-covered field a few yards from an identical device. The three passengers hop out, each scanning the distance. As expected, their target is nowhere in sight. Lucy and Rufus follow Wyatt as he makes his way in the direction instructed by Garcia. Within minutes, a lone figure comes into view in front of a white fence. They continue until they’re close enough to recognize Garcia Flynn then crouch out of sight behind the brush.
Along the nearby road, a car pulls to a stop. Jessica climbs out, yelling into the open passenger window. The car speeds away. Head down as she initiates a phone call, Jessica wanders toward Garcia. She stops. A strained and doubled-over Garcia raises his gun at her. She lunges.
"Stay here," Wyatt whispers as he stands.
"What?" Lucy reaches for him, but he pulls away. "Wyatt, get down. This isn’t the plan!"
"This isn’t your plan!" Wyatt’s head whips around as two gunshots ring into the air. "Trust me," he calls over his shoulder and bolts toward the struggling pair.
Lucy rises to follow, but Rufus grabs her arm.
Wyatt arrives with his weapon drawn just as Garcia rolls across the dirt and gets his hand on his gun.
"Stop!"
From the ground, Garcia raises his weapon toward Jessica. "Wyatt? What are you doing here?"
"Don’t shoot her."
"What? No. I have to... for Rufus... for Lucy."
"No, you don’t! I was wrong."
"I know she’s your wife, but…"
"Garcia…" The man on the ground recoils at his given name coming out of Wyatt’s mouth. "Wow, I forgot how much we hated each other. Flynn, just hear me out. Look, I’m going to put my gun down," Wyatt lowers the barrel, "and I trust that you won’t kill her." He slides the gun into his holster.
With his weapon still trained on Jessica, Garcia staggers to his feet. "I don’t want to kill her, Wyatt, but we both know what she’s going to do."
Jessica stands frozen in front of the barrel of the gun. Her eyes dart between the two men. "What is he talking about, Wyatt? What does he think I’ll do?"
"Jess, I know you work for Rittenhouse. They’re going to order you to kill me and my friends."
"No, Rittenhouse is my family. They would never ask me to do that. And Wyatt, even if they did, I would never hurt you."
"I know you wouldn’t. You didn’t do it. You disobeyed orders for me, but you got my friend killed."
"What? You’re not making any sense. I swear, I didn’t do anything like that."
"You haven’t done it yet, Jess. We’re from the future. I have a time machine. They have one, too. They went back and saved your brother to make you feel like you owed them. They’ve manipulated you your whole life."
"No." She raises her hands in front of herself. "Even if they had a time machine, why would they do that? Why would I be important enough to go back in time for?"
"Because my friends and I were trying to stop them from sabotaging history. They used you to get to us."
"That can’t be true. I’m part of something important. They’re trying to make a better world."
"No, they’re trying to control the world, Jess. They tried to stop women from getting the right to vote. Does that sound like a better world to you?"
Jessica’s eyes survey Garcia’s weapon, still trained on her.
Wyatt whirls on him. "Flynn, will you put the gun down and let me talk to her!"
Garcia blinks away blurred vision. Jessica stands like a rabbit ready to bound.
"Not when she’s going to run."
Wyatt grits his teeth and glares at Flynn. "Fine." Wyatt reaches toward his wife. "Jess, I’ve had years to think about this. They manipulated you since you were a kid. They dropped into your life, but they were careful not to change ours. They wanted everything exactly the same. Somebody told me you’re a different person than the Jess I knew. I believed them, but they were wrong. Rittenhouse never told you to love me, because they never had to tell you. They didn’t order you to accept a ride home after detention in a beat-up Chevy or to kiss me at the homecoming dance. That was real. That was us. I know the life you remember is the same one I do because you’re still my Jess. Rittenhouse tried to turn you against me, but they failed. Even when I wasn’t as good to you as you deserve, you still loved me. Our love is real, and nobody can change that." He pulls out a wad of cash from his jeans pocket and stalks forward. "Jess, take this. Go somewhere far away and don’t come back."
Jessica’s face falls. "You want me to leave you?"
Wyatt blinks away tears at the corners of his eyes. "Of course I don’t, but you have to get away. Go where they can’t find you."
"That's absurd! I can’t walk away from my whole life."
"I let you die twice, Jess, and I had to live with that. Please. I can’t do it again. I’ll lose you either way, but if you go, there’s a chance I'll find you in the future."
Jessica’s voice breaks. "Can’t I come with you?"
Wyatt clenches his jaw and closes his eyes. "I’m sorry. The people I work with would never believe you won’t betray us. They’d lock you up."
She searches Wyatt’s pleading eyes before scrutinizing Garcia, doubled over in pain with his gun still raised. She rushes forward and takes the money held in front of Wyatt. Tears slide down her cheeks. "Will I ever see you again?"
Wyatt's mouth trembles as a tear escapes. "I hope so."
Jessica throws her arms around Wyatt. He buries his face in her hair.
Wyatt pulls back, gripping her shoulders. "Leave your phone. Walk back to town then get a cab to the airport. Avoid the road. Your Wyatt will be back in less than twenty minutes. Don’t let him see you." Jess nods. Wyatt wipes the tears from her cheeks as he calls over his shoulder, "Flynn, put the gun down."
"Wyatt," Garcia says through gritted teeth, "you don’t know she won’t go back to Rittenhouse and still get Rufus killed."
Wyatt releases his wife and steps away to face Garcia, placing himself between Jess and the gun. "She won’t. Please, put the gun down."
Garcia doesn’t lower his weapon.
"I know you don’t have any reason to trust me. The Wyatt you know thinks you’re a son of a bitch, but I know he’s wrong. Where I come from, you’ve saved my life more times than I can count. Probably as many as I’ve saved yours. You’re one of my best friends, and I know you don’t want to kill innocent people if you don’t have to. Jessica is still innocent. Please let her go." He takes one step forward with his arms held out to his sides. "Please help me save my wife."
Garcia lowers his gun. Jessica runs, and Wyatt rushes to the other man. He slides his arm around the past version of his friend and helps him stand.
Garcia stumbles and leans into Wyatt. "We’re friends?"
Wyatt plods forward and smirks. "After this, we’d better be."
Resting his weight on Wyatt, Garcia’s feet shuffle through the dirt. "Where’s Lucy?"
"Up ahead."
The pair make their way toward the lifeboats. Lucy comes racing toward them, a plume of dust trails behind as she skids to a halt. In front of her, Garcia’s appearance is exactly as it had been the night she missed the chance to save him. Dusty clothes and bloodied lip. She rushes to his free side, helping to lift his weight as they stagger back to the lifeboat.
"Wyatt, what the hell? You let Jessica go?"
"She’s leaving Rittenhouse. Everything will stay the same. I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you."
"You better not be wrong!" Lucy braces her temple against a sudden stinging pain, a reminder of the effect of their timeline overlap. When she turns her attention to Garcia, her voice softens. "Are you okay?"
He groans. "I’ve felt better."
When they reach Rufus, he jogs ahead to send the original lifeboat to the team in 1848. Wyatt climbs inside their ship and offers Garcia a hand to pull himself up. Once inside, Garcia stumbles forward to be caught by the other man. When Wyatt releases him, he collapses into his seat. Reaching for the shoulder straps, Garcia can't grasp them. His fingers won’t cooperate. Lucy stills Garcia’s hands and pulls the straps around him. As she fastens the buckle, he offers her a lopsided smile of gratitude. He closes his eyes and lets his head fall back.
Rufus climbs inside to join the other passengers. "Wyatt, what the hell was that back there?"
"I couldn’t let Jess die again."
"I mean not telling us." Rufus takes his seat and clicks the buckle in place. He swivels his chair and flips the switch above his head. "We could have had your back."
"I’m sorry. You’re not exactly my Rufus and Lucy. I couldn’t risk it."
Rufus strikes the keyboard and maneuvers the joystick while the machine whooshes and vibrates. When it pops into the year 2025, Rufus spins to face Wyatt. "We’re still the same people. For the record, Jiya saw what you were going to do. She must have known it would work, because she asked me to trust you. Next time, you should trust us."
"You’re right. I’m sorry." Wyatt pulls the seat belt straps from his shoulders and leans forward, ready to assist Lucy as she helps Garcia to his feet.
"How are you feeling?" she asks.
"At least the ringing stopped." Garcia blinks and rubs his temple with the palm of his hand. "Does anyone have a bucket of Advil?"
Lucy moves to the lifeboat door and scans outside. Connor and Jiya are on the platform with Denise next to it. "We need a doctor!"
Without hesitation, Denise moves into the hallway to make the call.
Jiya braces her hands on the desk in front of her; her eyeballs flash white, and her eyelids flicker. Disoriented by a wave of images of herself traveling with Rufus and Lucy, she examines the newly arrived lifeboat. When Garcia stumbles out, followed by Wyatt, she closes her eyes and shakes her head. "That can’t be right."
"What can’t?" Connor asks.
"I don’t think that’s our Wyatt."
Grabbing the stair railing, Garcia steadies himself as he descends. Lucy takes his arm when he reaches the bottom. She guides him to the worn leather sofa at the back of the room. Garcia leans forward, elbows on his knees, and drops his head into his hands. Lucy grabs a blanket and drapes it over his shoulders before rushing to grab a stack of pillows.
Wyatt descends the stairs and leans into the platform railing from the floor. He crooks his neck in Lucy and Garcia’s direction. "It’s gonna take me a while to remember those two aren’t married."
Connor’s eyes go wide. "Married?"
Jiya considers the pair across the room. "Lucy and Flynn?"
"Yeah. There was another timeline. You’ll have to see it for yourself." Rufus climbs to Jiya’s side. "That wasn’t even the best part. Flynn and Wyatt were hugging."
Jiya cocks her head back and gapes at Wyatt. "No…"
Wyatt holds his hands up in front of himself. "I don’t see why that’s a big deal."
Connor gawks at Jiya. "You’re right. He’s a different Wyatt."
"This is going to take some getting used to."
Rufus leans on the desk next to his wife. "What do you remember?"
"I had a weird feeling that I should have been with you instead of Wyatt in the lifeboat, but that can’t be right, because I also remember him leaving with you."
"Do you still remember I was both dead and not dead?"
Jiya nods, then Rufus smiles and plants an enthusiastic kiss on top of her head.
"Lucy, the doctor is on her way," Denise announces as she returns from the hallway and makes her way back to the rest of the group at the front of the room.
With Garcia asleep on the sofa, Lucy scrambles to Denise’s side. "Do I still have two daughters?"
"Yeah." Denise points a thumb toward the hallway behind her. "They’re playing in the big bedroom."
"What? Really?" Lucy whirls to leave, but Denise halts her with a touch on her arm.
"Wait. Did something happen to them?"
Wyatt speaks up from the front of the room. "They didn’t exist in my timeline."
Denise’s spine straightens. "Your timeline? What does that mean?"
Eager to check on her children, Lucy delivers an abbreviated version of the events which started with Lucy, Rufus, and Jiya returning to 1934. Denise counters that her memory is of Lucy, Rufus, and Wyatt all leaving to retrieve Flynn from 2012. But for a timeline that’s supposed to be virtually the same as the one they left, Lucy can’t imagine Wyatt participating in a mission to save Garcia Flynn. She had spent months trying to convince him, but her Wyatt had been adamant that any attempt was fated to fail.
"Why would Wyatt go with us?" Lucy asks Denise.
"I don’t know. I told him about the mission, and he wanted to go for protection. He didn’t say anything more."
Wyatt leans his head against the railing. "Same as me. He did it for Jessica."
"What? Did what for Jessica?" Denise asks.
"Let her live."
"What do you mean? When you came back in 2018, you told me Jessica was Rittenhouse, and Flynn went to 2012 to kill her. She’s been missing ever since. Is that not what happened?"
"Not exactly. The reason she’s missing is that I just let her go."
"Are you kidding me? You changed the only thing stopping Rittenhouse from having full reign over history. How am I supposed to trust you after this?"
"Because I’m telling you about it now. We could lie, and you wouldn’t know any different." He straightens his spine. "I would never have risked it if it wasn’t important, and if I weren’t sure it would work. I was the one who suggested killing Jess, but at the time, I thought it was what had to be done. That she was just a mindless spy, and our relationship was just a job for her. Over a lot of sleepless nights, I realized she was still the same woman I married. She could have killed us at any time, but she didn’t. She was still my Jess. She defied Rittenhouse to save me, and in return, I sent someone to kill her. My own wife." Wyatt runs his hand through his hair and looks at the floor. "You don’t know what that’s like. I started drinking... a lot. I took the guilt out on Flynn. I almost killed him for it. I had some rough months, but he helped me out of it. I came to terms with Jess’s death, but when there was a chance to stop it, I couldn’t let it happen again. I knew her my whole life. I knew if she found out what Rittenhouse wanted from her, and I gave her the chance to leave, she wouldn’t stay with them. And I was right, or we wouldn’t be here." He squares his shoulders and locks eyes with Denise. "I would do it again. If you don’t want me working for you, I understand and accept the consequences."
Denise gives him a stern glare. "You and I will have a chat. I want to know exactly what happened in those seven years if I’m going to trust you with national security."
Wyatt nods.
Lucy leans toward Denise. "Speaking of Rittenhouse, there’s something else you should know. I think my mother and Nicholas Keynes are still alive."
Denise rolls her head back. "What is this? The shoes keep dropping. Rufus, is there anything you changed?"
Rufus raises his hands in front of himself and retreats.
"We didn’t change this," Lucy corrects. "They were still alive in Wyatt’s timeline. When Rufus came back, so did they. The same must have happened here."
Denise surveys each of the engineers. "How did we not already know this?"
Rufus rubs his head and averts his eyes. Jiya crosses her arms and casts her eyes toward the ceiling.
Connor inspects his feet. "We just didn't think of it. It appears we have some egg on our face."
"More like a whole omelet. Lucy, take care of things here." Denise takes out her phone and marches for the exit. "I need to make some calls."
The remaining five exchange ashamed, awkward glances before Lucy breaks the silence. "I'm going to check on the kids. Let me know if Garcia wakes up." Lucy grins at Wyatt. "Ready?"
His eyes bug out, and he points to himself. "You want me to come?"
"You have to meet them sometime. You’re technically their father."
He lets out a long breath. "Yeah. Okay. Let's do it."
###
Inside the bunker’s largest bedroom, Lucy and Wyatt’s twin daughters lounge on beds positioned on opposite walls. When their parents enter the room, both merely glance up before returning to stare at their tablet screens. Lucy greets them, and both girls reply without lifting their eyes.
"How about a hug?" Lucy asks.
Amy huffs. "Mom, we just saw you like five minutes ago."
"Humor me."
The girls toss down their devices and crawl off the beds. Lucy kneels and wraps her arms around them both. Wyatt forces a smile as he pats the nearest girl on the head. Flynn climbs back onto the bed and scoops up her tablet.
Amy jumps onto the other bed and kicks her legs from the edge. "Mom, can we go home? This place is boring. Denise wouldn’t give us the wifi password."
"Not yet."
The girl sets her sights on Wyatt. "Dad, can we go to your place?"
"Uh... No, we have to stay here and take care of our friend Flynn."
The other girl lifts her head from her screen and protests as though she’d just been robbed, "Daddy, that’s my name!"
Wyatt turns his back to the girls and speaks to Lucy under his breath. "You named her Flynn?"
"It was Wyatt’s idea."
He snorts. "Did you name the other one Garcia?"
Lucy shoots him a glare. "Amy."
"Wow." He shakes his head and snickers as he faces the kids. "You wanted to make conversations confusing, huh?"
Lucy stuffs her hands in her pockets and rocks forward on her toes. "Girls, get your stuff." She lifts her head and addresses Wyatt. "Your dad is taking you to grandma’s."
"Uh… What?" He gapes in her direction then blocks his mouth from the children’s view with his hand. "Me? I don’t know what to do with them."
Lucy leans in. "They can’t stay here all night."
"I can’t take them. I’m willing to figure this out, but you can’t just throw me in."
"One of us has to watch them, and one of us has to take care of Garcia. Do you want to trade?"
"Yes, absolutely. I can take care of him. Technically, I’ve known him longer than you have."
Lucy blinks, having forgotten that this Wyatt considers Garcia a friend. "Well… no! Just drive the girls to your mom’s house. It’s in the same place she’s lived for ten years. They stay there all the time. We’ll figure the rest out later."
Wyatt tosses his head back. "Okay, sure. I can do that." He watches the two girls stuffing their belongings into backpacks. After a moment, his head whips toward Lucy with alarmed eyes. "Wait. Don’t kids need car seats or something? I don’t have those."
Taking pity, Lucy places her hand on his arm and reminds him, "You do here."
"Oh, no. Do I drive a dad car?"
Lucy smiles.
He groans then cheerfully smacks his hands on his legs as he faces the kids. "Okay! Are you two ready to go?"
"Yeah, finally," Amy replies.
Jumping to her feet, Flynn grins. "Dad, can we have cake?"
"Sure. You can have as much cake as you want."
"With ice cream?"
Lucy grits her teeth and scowls at Wyatt. "We'll talk about dessert rules later."
Wyatt holds up his hand. "Wait. I got this. Girls, cake only after you eat your vegetables." He beams proudly at Lucy.
"You’re a natural." Lucy pats him on the back then strolls out the door.
Wyatt stands alone in the doorway as his daughters hike their backpacks onto their shoulders. "Hey kids, do either of you know where daddy’s keys are?"