too many fandoms

This fic has spoilers for season 3.

I originally posted this to Archive of Our Own. If you would prefer to read it there here’s the link  https://archiveofourown.org/works/17140643/chapters/40560731

Make It Count: Chapter 3

The day had started out with so much promise. Trevor and Philip were put in charge of clearing out Ops and Mac had said they could stay there as long as they needed until they got things sorted out. The whole team was supportive of Trevor and Philip’s decision to continue living together, agreeing that it was what was best for them both. Because, sure, Trevor had his parents, and with Protocol Omega he’d be seeing a lot more of them, but other than them, he only had his team.

He had been looking forward to starting a new life with Philip and really experiencing everything the 21st century had to offer. Maybe going to a club and dancing the night away. Or drinking too much and waking up with hangover, he had never had one of those before. He wanted to go to the movies or to a football game. He wanted to go to a fair and play those stupid games and try to win a stuffed animal. He wanted to go on a picnic to an open field or go camping under the stars. Trevor just wanted to experience everything he never got to back home. And he wanted to do it all with Philip- with his best friend.

But then 001 got into Jeff and took Marcy. But then Marcy killed herself to keep 001 from getting a backdoor the the director. But then Grace told him the long way to get to the Director anyway and now 001 was everywhere.

So they sent Mac back to stop 001 from ever coming to the 21st. And then what? At first they were worried their entire timeline would disappear. Was it one continuous timeline that once Mac stopped 001 from going to the 21st, would everything that happened to them, never have happened at all? Or would it create a different timeline?

Trevor assumed either it created a different timeline or it would take a while for Mac’s actions in 2001 to even touch them in 2018. Either way, he didn’t want to think of it much. They were either going to all disappear or they would be stuck living in this hellhole timeline. And he couldn’t do anything about it.

Now it was just Trevor and Philip and Grace and Carly left of their gang in this version of the 21st, which Trevor had decided was easier to think about than his entire existence in the 21st disappearing.

Mac was gone and Marcy was too and while Mac was living in a timeline where there was no 001 and no impending nuclear war, or so Trevor hoped, and the rest of them were stuck living with the aftermath of their actions.

There was no Director to contact them or help them.

They were stuck.

And Yates was not happy.

She almost had them arrested, after everything but to come in and tell everyone what happened, but she ultimately let them leave. Trevor knew it wouldn’t be the last they saw of her, but she was giving them a break and they needed to take advantage of that.

Philip had logged onto the deep web one last time to request a clean up crew. Trevor had watched them pick up Marcy’s lifeless body and cover her up. He had even helped them clean up her blood. He had watched as Mac and Jeff’s bodies were hauled onto a gurney and pushed out of the room and Trevor realized that Carly didn’t know what happened. They would have to tell her about it. She deserved to know.

Trevor debated telling her over the comms but he decided it would be better to tell her in person. So he called her and told her to meet at Ops when she got the chance. He called Boyd and told her to meet them there too.

Philip drove the three of them back to Ops, well it was just a garage now- nothing special about it- because Trevor was too numb to drive. He had seen a lot of death in his time. But everything had just happened too fast.

His entire world had imploded and he couldn’t dig himself out of the dark hole he found himself in.

0115 had spent lifetimes preparing to go back to the 21st and save the world. He wanted to do good and help his people. Instead their mission had failed and everything he had ever worked for in his life had lost all meaning.

Once at the garage, nobody spoke until Carly and Boyd showed up. The Philip and Carly thought it would be best to remove the comms since they weren’t 21st century technology and they needed to immerse themselves into the century.

Trevor pretended not to notice the worried glances Philip and Grace threw his way when he shrugged off the suggestion let Carly and Philip decide for the team.

Trevor was usually the one to keep an upbeat attitude about everything. He was always the one who was able to calm everybody down after something horrific had happened- events like today’s and like yesterday’s.

But Trevor couldn’t focus on anything and it was only when Boyd punctured Trevor’s skin to remove his comm that he felt anything.

He hissed as she dug around and gently pried it from his neck. She stitched and bandaged him up neat and quick then moved onto Carly. Trevor tried not to think about how it should have been Marcy taking their comms out. But Marcy Warton was dead. No- traveler 3569 was dead. Marcy was the person they took over. Marcy had already been dead.

3569 was dead and 3468 was living their life in another timeline. A timeline where they had yet to go to the 21st. Trevor wished he could have followed Mac into that timeline. And he supposed that he could, but he couldn’t get in the way of that timeline’s Grand Plan, if there were an abundance of timelines like Trevor was hoping there were.

Hopefully the Director made some adjustments and everything would be fixed and there was some version of himself living one life with his wife and kids in a beautiful colorful world. One with no Traveler Program or Faction. A world where everything was good.

Trevor took a deep breath. Everything would be alright.

It had to be.

“So, now what?” Carly asked. Her neck had just been bandaged and Boyd had moved on to treating Grace's injuries.

“Protocol Omega,” Trevor croaked. “There’s nothing else we can do.” Trevor didn't miss the way Philip's head snapped in his direction when he spoke.

Carly shook her head.

“I don’t want to live here if I can’t be with my son.” Carly stood up from her place at the table and stormed off towards the computers where Philip was seated.

“What’s everybody saying on the deep web?” She asked, looking over Philip’s shoulders to read the monitors.

“Everybody’s signing off. The Director is done with this timeline. Unless people want to join the faction, they’re going to be living their Protocol 5 until they die,” Philip replied, allowing Carly to take his seat. He walked over and took a seat next to Trevor, and Trevor ignored him, watching as Grace winced as Boyd placed a bandage on her forehead.

“Do you want me to take your comm out?” Philip asked Boyd. Boyd shook her head no and Trevor tried not to feel bad when Philip looked mildly hurt. “I know I’m not a doctor, but-”

“It’s not that,” Boyd interjected gently. “I still need to contact my historian. They lost their phone a while ago and this is the only way I can contact them. You guys have to figure out your plan as a team and we need to figure out ours.” Boyd gave Grace a firm pat on the shoulder and started cleaning up her medical supplies.

“You have my number if you guys ever need anything. And Carly, I know since Grant isn’t here your FBI cover isn’t going to work anymore. If you would like a job at the police department, I think you’d be a wonderful addition to the squad,” Boyd offered. Carly smiled but declined the offer.

“I’m thinking of actually becoming a real FBI agent. We have plenty of contacts there, despite Grant not being here anymore. I should be able to weasel my way in. Thank you though.” Boyd nodded and picked up her supplies.

“Well I suppose I’ll see you guys around.” Boyd waved goodbye and the team mumbled their farewells. And after a quick warning of caution from Philip, Carly left not too shortly to head over to FBI headquarters to see if she could reason with Yates.

“She’s either really brave or really stupid,” Trevor mumbled. Philip shook his head.

“She’s just Carly.” Trevor couldn’t argue with that.

“You sure you doing okay, old man? You’ve hardly said a word since we sent Mac back.” Philip turned to face Trevor and it took everything Trevor had not to turn and face him too.

“I guess just after everything, with the bombs and the whole mess the Faction created, it’s just going to be hard to live a normal life.” Trevor couldn’t help the feeling of hopelessness that washed over him. The last time he felt this hopeless, he had joined the Traveler program.

“Even after last night, things had been starting to look up,” Trevor confessed. “But I guess I just realized all the shit we’re going to be dealing with and Yates will still be breathing down our necks and now Marcy’s dead and Mac is gone and I just don’t know what to do.” Trevor felt the crack in his voice before he actually heard it. The pressure building up behind his eyes made him feel like a child. He was over 100 years old, he shouldn’t be crying.

“Trev,” Philip said softly, “nothing’s changed from this morning.” Before Trevor could interject with just how much everything had changed from this morning, Philip placed a hand on Trevor’s leg and continued. “We’re still going to move in together,” Trevor closed his eyes. “We’re still gonna experience the 21st like we planned. It’s just that now, things are a little different from how they were when we got here.”

Trevor felt it deep within him, the moment Philip placed a hand on his back. It was big and warm and grounding and Trevor focused on it. Philip was here and he wasn’t going anywhere. The 21st they were living in was a complete shitshow and it was because of the Traveler Program and the Faction that things ended up the way they did.

They couldn’t fix anything they had set out to, nothing that mattered anyway. But hopefully Agent Grant MacLaren in whatever timeline he was living in managed to fix things for the better. At least one of them would get to see the future they all had been working to build.

“We’ve just gotta keep moving forward, Trev.” Suddenly Philip’s hands were gone from his leg and his back and were gently pulling Trevor’s hands away from his face. Trevor didn’t even remember putting them there.

Philip was staring at him with such intensity and sincerity that it made Trevor shiver. “It doesn’t do us any good to focus on things we can’t change.” And with that, Philip went to shut down the computers, leaving Trevor to sit alone at a much too empty table with nothing to do but watch after Philip.