diff --git a/src/domain/session/room/RoomViewModel.js b/src/domain/session/room/RoomViewModel.js
index 09de2b8b..cb6e6119 100644
--- a/src/domain/session/room/RoomViewModel.js
+++ b/src/domain/session/room/RoomViewModel.js
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ export default class RoomViewModel extends EventEmitter {
         this._room.on("change", this._onRoomChange);
         try {
             this._timeline = await this._room.openTimeline();
-            this._timelineVM = new TimelineViewModel(this._timeline, this._ownUserId);
+            this._timelineVM = new TimelineViewModel(this._room, this._timeline, this._ownUserId);
             this.emit("change", "timelineViewModel");
         } catch (err) {
             console.error(`room.openTimeline(): ${err.message}:\n${err.stack}`);
diff --git a/src/domain/session/room/timeline/TimelineViewModel.js b/src/domain/session/room/timeline/TimelineViewModel.js
index 622ab1cb..2e952a76 100644
--- a/src/domain/session/room/timeline/TimelineViewModel.js
+++ b/src/domain/session/room/timeline/TimelineViewModel.js
@@ -18,12 +18,12 @@ import TilesCollection from "./TilesCollection.js";
 import tilesCreator from "./tilesCreator.js";
 
 export default class TimelineViewModel {
-    constructor(timeline, ownUserId) {
+    constructor(room, timeline, ownUserId) {
         this._timeline = timeline;
         // once we support sending messages we could do
         // timeline.entries.concat(timeline.pendingEvents)
         // for an ObservableList that also contains local echos
-        this._tiles = new TilesCollection(timeline.entries, tilesCreator({timeline, ownUserId}));
+        this._tiles = new TilesCollection(timeline.entries, tilesCreator({room, ownUserId}));
     }
 
     // doesn't fill gaps, only loads stored entries/tiles
diff --git a/src/domain/session/room/timeline/tilesCreator.js b/src/domain/session/room/timeline/tilesCreator.js
index 9f583650..87d70238 100644
--- a/src/domain/session/room/timeline/tilesCreator.js
+++ b/src/domain/session/room/timeline/tilesCreator.js
@@ -4,11 +4,11 @@ import LocationTile from "./tiles/LocationTile.js";
 import RoomNameTile from "./tiles/RoomNameTile.js";
 import RoomMemberTile from "./tiles/RoomMemberTile.js";
 
-export default function ({timeline, ownUserId}) {
+export default function ({room, ownUserId}) {
     return function tilesCreator(entry, emitUpdate) {
         const options = {entry, emitUpdate, ownUserId};
         if (entry.isGap) {
-            return new GapTile(options, timeline);
+            return new GapTile(options, room);
         } else if (entry.eventType) {
             switch (entry.eventType) {
                 case "m.room.message": {
diff --git a/src/matrix/room/room.js b/src/matrix/room/room.js
index d493bc00..530e42fd 100644
--- a/src/matrix/room/room.js
+++ b/src/matrix/room/room.js
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import EventEmitter from "../../EventEmitter.js";
 import RoomSummary from "./summary.js";
 import SyncWriter from "./timeline/persistence/SyncWriter.js";
+import GapWriter from "./timeline/persistence/GapWriter.js";
 import Timeline from "./timeline/Timeline.js";
 import FragmentIdComparer from "./timeline/FragmentIdComparer.js";
 import SendQueue from "./sending/SendQueue.js";
@@ -58,6 +59,26 @@ export default class Room extends EventEmitter {
         this._sendQueue.enqueueEvent(eventType, content);
     }
 
+
+    /** @public */
+    async fillGap(fragmentEntry, amount) {
+        const response = await this._hsApi.messages(this._roomId, {
+            from: fragmentEntry.token,
+            dir: fragmentEntry.direction.asApiString(),
+            limit: amount,
+            filter: {lazy_load_members: true}
+        }).response();
+        const gapWriter = new GapWriter({
+            roomId: this._roomId,
+            storage: this._storage,
+            fragmentIdComparer: this._fragmentIdComparer
+        });
+        const newEntries = await gapWriter.writeFragmentFill(fragmentEntry, response);
+        if (this._timeline) {
+            this._timeline.addGapEntries(newEntries)
+        }
+    }
+
     get name() {
         return this._summary.name;
     }
@@ -73,7 +94,6 @@ export default class Room extends EventEmitter {
         this._timeline = new Timeline({
             roomId: this.id,
             storage: this._storage,
-            hsApi: this._hsApi,
             fragmentIdComparer: this._fragmentIdComparer,
             pendingEvents: this._sendQueue.pendingEvents,
             closeCallback: () => this._timeline = null,
diff --git a/src/matrix/room/timeline/Timeline.js b/src/matrix/room/timeline/Timeline.js
index 99828479..a13fa304 100644
--- a/src/matrix/room/timeline/Timeline.js
+++ b/src/matrix/room/timeline/Timeline.js
@@ -1,16 +1,14 @@
 import { SortedArray, MappedList, ConcatList } from "../../../observable/index.js";
 import Direction from "./Direction.js";
-import GapWriter from "./persistence/GapWriter.js";
 import TimelineReader from "./persistence/TimelineReader.js";
 import PendingEventEntry from "./entries/PendingEventEntry.js";
 
 export default class Timeline {
-    constructor({roomId, storage, closeCallback, fragmentIdComparer, pendingEvents, user, hsApi}) {
+    constructor({roomId, storage, closeCallback, fragmentIdComparer, pendingEvents, user}) {
         this._roomId = roomId;
         this._storage = storage;
         this._closeCallback = closeCallback;
         this._fragmentIdComparer = fragmentIdComparer;
-        this._hsApi = hsApi;
         this._remoteEntries = new SortedArray((a, b) => a.compare(b));
         this._timelineReader = new TimelineReader({
             roomId: this._roomId,
@@ -36,23 +34,11 @@ export default class Timeline {
         this._remoteEntries.setManySorted(newEntries);
     }
 
-    /** @public */
-    async fillGap(fragmentEntry, amount) {
-        const response = await this._hsApi.messages(this._roomId, {
-            from: fragmentEntry.token,
-            dir: fragmentEntry.direction.asApiString(),
-            limit: amount,
-            filter: {lazy_load_members: true}
-        }).response();
-        const gapWriter = new GapWriter({
-            roomId: this._roomId,
-            storage: this._storage,
-            fragmentIdComparer: this._fragmentIdComparer
-        });
-        const newEntries = await gapWriter.writeFragmentFill(fragmentEntry, response);
+    /** @package */
+    addGapEntries(newEntries) {
         this._remoteEntries.setManySorted(newEntries);
     }
-
+    
     // tries to prepend `amount` entries to the `entries` list.
     async loadAtTop(amount) {
         const firstEventEntry = this._remoteEntries.array.find(e => !!e.eventType);