In the crowded stands, Lucy and Wyatt watched as Al Carver finished his opening speech and introduction for the show. He turned his gaze over to the tall ladder where Sonora had started her climb up the high wooden tower, he spoke into the microphone once more. "Sonora? Sonora Webster?"
The crowds were hushed, hanging onto his every word. They watched as she stopped her climb up, turning her gaze over to him as she remained on the ladder rung, confusion washing over her features.
Wyatt whispered, "What's going on?" Lucy shrugged as her eyes remained glued to Sonora.
Al continued, "Sonora Webster, I love you. I've loved you every day since I met you." Sonora's gaze turned toward the waiting crowd who were saying their ohs and awes. She started climbing down the ladder. "There's no better feeling in the world than knowing I'm going to see you every morning."
When Sonora reached the bottom of the ladder, she rushed over to Al. Even though she wasn't standing close to the microphone, her voice still echoed over the speakers. "What are you doing?"
"What does it look like?" Al asked coyly, a wide smile on his face. "I love you...Will you marry me?" The crowds started chanting 'yes' as she stood there in stunned silence. Lucy's smile grew as she watched pure love before her eyes. Wyatt turned his gaze onto Lucy and saw how much of a romantic she was. He reached out and grasped her hand, interlocking his fingers with hers.
Sonora placed her hands on her blushing cheeks. "This is crazy!"
"Well, I'm crazy about you!" Al replied, a wide smile on his face. "So, will you?" The crowds chanted 'yes' louder.
She laughed. "Yes!" She jumped into his arms and the crowds erupted in cheers.
He planted a kiss on her ruby-red lips. He pulled away and said, "Now, hurry up! We've got a show to run!"
Sonora ran back to the ladder with a newfound joy in her step. She climbed the ladder to the top. Once she reached it, she raised her hands above her head, posing like the posters that were plastered all over the place.
The brass band started playing again, the crowds watched with anticipation as the brown horse made its way up the ramp quickly. Wyatt squeezed Lucy's hand as he watched Sonora grab a hold of the horse, pulling herself onto its bareback just seconds before it dove off the edge.
Wyatt's mouth hung open as he stared in shock, breath caught in his chest. He watched as the horse dove straight into the pool of shallow water below. Rider and horse crashed into the pool, splashing the people in the front rows with cold water.
He released the breath he was holding as the horse climbed out of the pool with Sonora still holding on. She slid off the back of the horse, posing in the same fashion she did on the ramp, a happy smile on her face. Al approached her, wrapping his arm around her waist, kissing her wet cheek as the crowds continued their standing ovation.
Lucy turned to take in his expression. She smiled wide at him. "Isn't she something?" He just nodded in response. Lucy's eyes caught Rufus and Flynn off to the side and noted their grim expressions. She pulled Wyatt behind her through the cheering crowds as she made her way over to them.
As they neared them, Lucy asked, "What happened?" Flynn's tense posture made Wyatt uneasy. Rufus glanced down at his shoes, almost like a kid who got caught stealing from the cookie jar. Lucy's eyes darted between the two. "Well?"
Rufus finally lifted his gaze, shifting slightly in place. "Well...I may or may not have done a bad thing?"
Present Day
The Mothership door opened, allowing the occupants inside to exit. Carol stood with her arms crossed over her chest as she watched the group climb out. Her eyes studied each one of them as they exited. When her eyes landed on Emma, she asked, "Well?"
Emma rolled her eyes. "Ask your daughter."
Amy halted in her step, blinking at Emma, almost as though she had been taken off guard. Her mouth fell agape as her eyes darted over to Carol.
Carol ignored Emma's remark as she refused to look at Amy. "Well, the important thing is that you succeeded in your mission. The horse remained calm during the jump."
Amy's head snapped up at the remark. She didn't have a chance to give the horse the shot before she had been cornered by Flynn. In fact, when he grabbed her, she had dropped the syringe into the hay. She began to wonder who had given the horse the shot. Her wide eyes darted about the gathered group. None of them gave her a second glance.
Carol nodded solemnly. "Get some rest. We have a while before we plan our next move."
The group dispersed from the room. Amy was one of the last to leave. She almost expected Carol to stop her to have another discussion of what happened, but Carol didn't say a word to her.
Amy walked down the empty hallway toward her room. Rounding the corner that would lead her down the side corridor where her room was, she felt hands grab her arms aggressively, whirling her around before slamming her into the wall. She released a pained gasp from her lips as her eyes lifted to see Emma glaring hard at her.
Emma's cold stare bore into her being. "What happened, Amy? What did you do?"
"I didn't do anything-"
"That's right," Emma spat, standing closer. "You didn't do anything." Amy opened her mouth to retort but Emma shook her head. "Don't speak, just listen." Amy saw the anger blazing behind the green eyes staring at her. "I don't know what game you're playing at but if you get in my way, you better be prepared for what will happen to you."
"Are you threatening me?" she whispered, eyes wide with panic. A lump formed in her throat. Quinn's warnings regarding Emma were screaming within her mind.
Emma sneered at her, opening her mouth to speak. Her words were halted by another voice speaking behind them. "What the hell do ye think yer doing?"
Emma smirked, glancing over her shoulder at Rowan. With her hand still holding Amy against the wall by the neck, she challenged, "What are you going to do, Rowan? Run to 'mummy' and tell her about my bullying?"
Rowan's heated gaze bore into Emma. "Let go of her." His body straightened, fully prepared to attack if necessary.
Emma chuckled, turning her heated gaze back to Amy. "Remember what I said." Her hand fell from Amy's neck. She glanced between the two before laughing again. "She's all yours."
Rowan watched Emma as she left the hallway. He didn't take his eyes off of her until she was out of view. When they were alone, he finally turned his attention to Amy. "Are ye alright?" His eyes examined her face, searching for any answer beyond her spoken words.
"I think so," she managed to say, voice shaking from the experience.
His concern only grew with her answer. He stepped closer to her, running his hands up her arms in comfort. "What happened? What'd she say to ye?"
Amy's mouth hung open as she blinked a couple of times. She struggled to think of what to say - if she should say anything at all. She knew Emma would follow through with her threats against her if she said anything. Amy knew one thing for certain: she feared for Rowan, and even Quinn for that matter, if Emma redirected her threats to them. They were the only ones she could trust - she couldn't even trust her own mother.
Rowan saw the internal battle raging inside her mind. He lifted his head, glancing down the hallway to make sure they were still alone. When his gaze returned to her, he whispered, "It's not safe to talk out in the open. Come find me when yer able."
Amy nodded as he stepped away from her. She turned and reached out for her bedroom doorknob. She glanced at him one last time before slipping into the safety of her room.
The door clicked closed behind Amy. She sighed, running a hand down her face as she turned to change her clothes. As she began to pull her blouse over her head, she heard something fall to the floor. Tossing her shirt onto her bed, she bent down to pick up a card with the word 'Dominion' written in dark blue trailing the sides of a light blue card.
Amy's brows knitted together as she flipped the card over. She scanned the image of a veiled woman with her open hands holding a glowing ball of light in the air by magic. The top of the card's banner said 'witch' and the bottom in the description box read, '+2 cards, Each other player gains a curse'. At the very bottom, in a gold circle was the number 5 with the words 'Action - Attack'.
Images of her sitting around a small table within a dimly lit room with cards similar to the one in her hand laid out on the tabletop came rushing forward. She could see the cards clear as day, then the person sitting across from her came into view. Smiling warmly, a happy glint in his eyes as he stared at her was Flynn. They were laughing together and there was a sense of security, familiarity.
The next image to cross her memory was Flynn standing close to her at a door, both reaching for the doorknob. Even though that memory was quick, she noticed the room she was standing in to be similar to an infirmary.
She shook her head, breaking the random memories that had pounced on her unsuspectingly. She found herself confused and wondering what was wrong with her. Why was she remembering things that featured Flynn? She was told he was the bad guy - someone not to be trusted - the very man who had helped kidnap her sister. Then she remembered how he tried to talk to her on the train. He claimed her name wasn't Amy. She refused to listen and now, she wished she had.
Lucy stood before the group, holding an open book in her hands. She turned a page as she continued reading, "It says that Sonora Webster Carver continued diving for eleven years and never had her accident. She never went blind as she did before."
"So, she didn't go blind because Rufus gave that horse a shot?" Wyatt questioned. Rufus shifted uncomfortably as he waited for the answer.
Lucy's eyes darted about the page. "Honestly? I think so."
"It doesn't make any sense though," Wyatt admitted. "Why go back to prevent this accident from happening? I don't understand why she matters to them-"
"Whatever happened to Arnette?" Flynn piped up from the back of the group. When their eyes turned to him, he added, "She spoke with the Rittenhouse agents and gave them the syringe." Rufus's head bobbed up and down as Flynn spoke, pointing at him in a way to suggest they listen. Flynn continued, "Perhaps they weren't there to harm either one of them - but maybe they were there to help?"
"Rittenhouse never helps anyone-" Wyatt began.
Flynn cut him off. "No one that doesn't serve some purpose to them, you mean."
The silence that fell over the team as they realized the gravity of his words was deafening. Lucy quickly flipped through her book, searching through the paragraphs for any mention of Arnette.
"It looks like Arnette sort of disappears a couple of years after we left," Lucy stated. "She stated that she wanted to travel the world and no one saw her again. Sonora kept writing letters to a post box address hoping to hear back from Arnette but never got anything in return."
Rufus rubbed his hand over the top of his head. "So, do you think she was taken by Rittenhouse?"
Flynn shook his head. "I think she was Rittenhouse."
Rufus's face contorted as he took in this revelation. His face lit up as though another thought suddenly popped into his mind. "What if she's Bloodstone instead of Rittenhouse?" The others glanced over at him, confused. He held his hands up, almost pleading for the others to wait before bombarding him with doubt. "Think about it for a moment...This whole time, Bloodstone has been the ones taking people out of their own timeline, right? Rittenhouse doesn't seem to care about them-"
"We also haven't seen or heard from Bloodstone in quite some time," Jiya reminded them. "We kind of are due for a visit soon."
Agent Christopher sighed, shaking her head slightly before rubbing her temple with her fingers, clearly feeling the overwhelming confusion that went hand in hand with time travel. "We'll have to figure this out later. In the meantime, get some rest. You all look like you could use it."
The team dispersed to their rooms in stunned silence. Flynn chewed on the inside of his lip as he meandered down the hall to the infirmary. He stepped inside, eyes scanning the room. Everything remained just as it had been before, sans the opened game box of Dominion that he had thrown open in his hurry to leave on this mission.
He took a chance to snag the witch card from the box, hoping to find a way to reach Tenley's memory. He didn't know when he'd be able to give it to her but he remained determined to carry the card with him, even if it were just a reminder to himself what his personal mission was. He hadn't expected the opportunity to slip the card into her pocket to come as quickly as it had. He was surprised he managed to get it into her pocket unnoticed during their scuffle in the horse stall or without it falling out by accident against her struggle.
Flynn approached the game box and began cleaning up the cards that he scattered about in his hurry. He chuckled slightly as he picked them up, knowing if Tenley were there, she'd be upset with his treatment of the game. He'd probably end up with a lecture of sorts from her. He paused his cleaning as he smirked at the thought. He never would have thought in a million years that he'd actually want a lecture from her. His smile faltered slightly as he put the cards into the box. He would suffer through a lifetime of lectures from her as long as she was next to him.
In Lucy and Wyatt's room, Wyatt sat on the edge of the bed, elbows resting on his knees, hands clasped together as he leaned forward. "Do you think Flynn's right about Arnette? Do you think she was part of the whole...Bloodstone or Rittenhouse thing?"
Lucy shrugged half-heartedly as she turned away from the bookshelf. "It's possible. I mean, we've seen it before with people we never expected-"
"I know, it's just..." his voice trailed for a moment. "I just don't understand what they're trying to accomplish - especially with this mission."
Lucy sighed, sitting next to him on the bed. She slid her arms around his shoulders, before lifting her legs into his lap. He moved his arms and gently cradled her legs. "Well, who's to say that Arnette wasn't helping them to protect those she loved?"
"You think she willingly helped Rittenhouse to save her sister?"
Another shrug from Lucy as she admitted, "People have done worse things in the name of love."
Wyatt gritted his teeth, sighing lightly. His mind raced with how he felt regarding Jessica. Would he have done the same for her if given the chance? He turned his gaze over to Lucy and watched the gentle loving smile form on her lips and he knew that he'd never be able to do that to Lucy. Jessica was his world in his past. Lucy was his world now and the future - this he was convinced.
He leaned forward, kissing Lucy gently before nuzzling his face into the nape of her neck, breathing her in. "I love you, baby doll."
She buried her fingers into his hair, leaning her head onto his, her smile widening at their nickname for each other. "And I love you, sweetheart."
Rufus paced in the room he shared with Jiya. She sat on the bed, crossed legged as she watched him pad nervously around the room. He ran his hand over his head as he spoke, "Did I do the wrong thing? I don't even know anymore..."
Jiya twisted her lips as she hesitated to speak up. His eyes met hers, expecting an answer, pausing his pacing. Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open, stammering, "I-I...I mean, maybe? I don't know-"
"I took a risk and I'm not even sure the risk was the right one," he admitted, resuming his pacing. "I mean, the horse was so agitated and I knew that Sonora was going to be riding it, and even though I had no way of knowing what was in the syringe-"
"Rufus?"
"God, what if I had killed the horse?"
"Rufus?"
"I could have killed a horse, Jiya!" he repeated. "What if she was on the horse?"
"Rufus!" Jiya practically shouted. He stopped in his tracks, eyes darting over to her. She raised a hand to try and calm him. "You did the right thing, okay?"
He sighed, shoulders slumping forward in a defeated manner. "Then why do I feel like I'm just as bad as Rittenhouse?"
Jiya stood up from the bed, crossing over to him and wrapping her arms around him tightly. She nestled her head on his shoulder. "I know it's confusing and even a little scary, but I know you, okay? You're not a monster and you're not Rittenhouse. You saved a woman today, Rufus. You saved her livelihood and gave her a new life - one without suffering."
Rufus's once tense posture softened even more as he wrapped his arms around her. He buried his nose into her hair, inhaling the familiar and comforting smell of honey and peppermint. "Thank you for this."
Jiya just nodded, keeping her embrace around him tight, knowing he needed that reassurance. She knew that at this moment, she had to be the strong one. It was all she could do.
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