Just a little something I wrote because I'm sick/loopy on my meds and figured that there had to be at least one other person on the internet who (potentially) ships this too. But seriously, you give me two female characters, I'm going to ship them. (Next time it'll be Flo, probably.) Anyway, this is the first fic I've written/published in years, so enjoy!

"Oh, it's not a very exclusive event, is it?" Lockwood groused, a frown crossing his face. Lucy followed his gaze, spotting Quill Kipps and his team talking to some wealthy-looking older ladies. Kat Godwin stood at Kipps' shoulder, her face as stony and impassive as ever. A silky red dress clung to her slender frame, her blonde hair as striking and severe as always. Her eye shadow was dark, her lipstick even darker. Lucy's face flushed, partially from jealously, partially from something else entirely.

"C'mon, let's get some more juice," George said. Lucy followed the other two as they walked toward the punch table, casting one last look at Godwin. Steely blue eyes met hers briefly, then looked away, uninterested. Face positively burning now, Lucy hurried after Lockwood and George. When she approached the boys, George raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. Lockwood simply handed her a drink, which she took gratefully. Her throat had gone dry.

There was a sudden crash from the other side of the room. An entire tray of hors d'oeuvre had be dumped onto Quill Kipps, whose scarlet face indicated his barely contained rage. Lockwood and George exchanged a look of pure, unadulterated glee, and quickly inched their way closer as the gasps and stifled laughter of the crowd increased.

Lucy bit her lip in amusement, starting when someone grabbed her hand and tugged. It was Kat Godwin, in her sinful red dress, eyes flashing dangerously. "C'mon, while they're all distracted."

Confused and a little dazed, Lucy let Kat lead her away from the party into the hallway. She couldn't help but notice how rough Kat's hands were; someone as fair-faced and elegant as Kat Godwin should have soft, delicate hands. But there were callouses there, just like on Lucy's hands, from rapier work and digging up graves and the general chaos of being an agent.

"Kat, where are we-?" Lucy was cut off as Kat pulled open an office door and pushed her in. Lucy stumbled backwards, the solid form of a desk bumping up against the back of her knees. Kat shut the door behind her, cold eyes suddenly alight. "Kat?"

Kat moved forward gracefully, like a lioness approaching her prey. Lucy braced herself, waiting for an attack. Her hand strayed to the rapier at her hip. She was ready for any trick Godwin pulled.

She wasn't ready, however, for Kat's lips pressing up against hers, rough and hard. Lucy pulled back, eyes wide. "Kat-?!"

Kat raised an eyebrow. "Don't you want to?" She leaned forward, breath tickling the skin below Lucy's ear. "I saw you looking at me."

There was a small, mischievous grin on Kat's face, something Lucy had never seen. And really, paired with that dress and those eyes, it was overwhelmingly attractive. Hell, it was hot. Lucy licked her lips, then grabbed Kat's face between her hands, pulling their mouths together. Kat made a sound of appreciation, then grabbed Lucy's hips and hoisted her onto the desk. Lucy wrapped her legs around Kat's waist, so they were pressed up against each other. She could feel the hilt of Kat's rapier pressing into her side, but was so absorbed in the heat of the moment that she found she couldn't care at all. Kat nipped at Lucy's lips, biting and tugging, fingers roaming over her ribcage.

Lucy hesitated a little, unsure of where to put her hands. She settled for grasping awkwardly at Kat's shoulders, shuddering a little as Kat broke the kiss, her eyes dark and wanting. "You can touch them," she said, voice impatient. Lucy froze, uncertain of what she meant. Kat huffed. "Seriously, touch them." She grabbed Lucy's hands and moved them so they were cupping her breasts. Then, she leaned back in, lips and teeth scraping over the skin of Lucy's neck.

Gasping a little, Lucy massaged Kat's breasts, grinning when she heard the other girl moan. In retaliation, Kat attacked the area where Lucy's neck met her collar bone. Lucy whimpered, tightening her legs around Kat's hips. Their mouths met again, desperate and greedy. Lucy almost forgot that she needed to be leaving soon, that she could very well die tonight on her and Lockwood's criminal mission.

She almost forgot. At that moment, just as Kat was fumbling with the zipper at the back of Lucy's dress, the door to the office burst open, and a crowd of teenage boys stood there, gawping.

"Lucy?"

"Kat!"

Lucy and Kat broke apart, propelling away from each other. Lucy pulled her legs together, blushing furiously. To her credit, Kat managed to look only slightly embarrassed, and mostly annoyed. She calmly straightened her hair and her dress. Kipps, Shaw, Vernon, Lockwood, and George all stood there, various degrees of shock, disgust, and bewilderment on their faces.

Lockwood was the first to speak, face a little pink. "Er, Lucy, we're about to head home now, if you'd like to join us." The plan for the rest of the night came flooding back to her, and Lucy nodded quickly, hopping off of the desk.

"Right, right, yes, coming, Lockwood." She cast one last look at Kat, but the stony-faced girl refused to meet her eye. Disappointment welled in Lucy's stomach, and she pushed her way through the throng of stupid boys. "Let's go," she mumbled. George and Lockwood followed, still in too much shock to say much of anything.

Behind her, she heard Kipps struggling to string together a lecture of some sort. Ned Shaw mumbled, "That was hot," then shrieked like he'd been kicked between the legs. Despite herself, Lucy smiled.

Lucy sat on the steps of the chapel in Kensal Green, letting the early morning sun warm her exhausted body. It had been a long, emotional night, and all she wanted was to go home and sleep for a week. Kipps sat a couple steps below her, not saying much of anything.

As Lockwood talked to Barnes, a thin figure approached the chapel steps. Lucy and Kipps both looked up to find Kat Godwin standing there, bruised and battered, her once-pristine uniform torn and dirty. There was blood on the collar that Lucy suspected belonged to one of the thugs Kat had been fighting.

"Kipps, Barnes wants to speak to you," she said, voice monotone and bored. Kipps nodded once, then pushed himself off the steps without a word. Instead of following her handler, like Lucy had expected, Kat took Kipps' place on the steps, turned so she was half-facing Lucy. Lucy looked away, refusing to look at the pretty blonde in front of her.

"Look," Kat said, voice still unchanging. "I don't know what all happened to you tonight, but I know that I nearly died once or twice." She looked up at the sky, cold eyes squinting into the morning light. "I'm sorry we were interrupted at the party, but an agent's life is too short to be spent being embarrassed about stupid things like that." Kat stood, and Lucy could have sworn she almost glowed in the soft, golden haze that now filled the cemetery. "Here." She fished a card from her pocket and handed it to Lucy. "Let's get lunch tomorrow. Today. Whatever." Then she left, walking over to where the medics were fussing over Vernon and Shaw. Lucy stared at the card, mouth agape. It was white, with crisp, gray text that read:

Katherine Godwin

Fittes Psychic Investigation Agency

Junior Field Agent

Below was an office number and an extension, but it was the handwritten number, a home number, that made the heat rise in Lucy's cheeks. She stared at it a moment later, then tucked it into the pocket of her jacket. A few seconds later, Lockwood approached her, an easy grin on his face. She quirked an eyebrow.

"So, are we all arrested?"

Lockwood laughed, and shook his head.

Lucy snuck out at some point later that day, when Lockwood and George were still sleeping off the night's events. The entire tube ride was spent in frenetic anxiety. She couldn't hold still, squirming in her seat, adjusting and readjusting her rapier. It was almost a relief when a pregnant woman boarded, and Lucy stood to offer her the seat. For the rest of the ride she bounced on her toes, shifting from one foot to the other, heart thumping erratically in her chest. When it was her stop, she exited quickly, then wished she had stayed on the train. Sighing, Lucy hurried toward the stairs, forcing herself forward toward the street.

After wandering a couple of blocks, Lucy found the café Kat had mentioned on the phone. It was a small, dingy looking place, not at all what she had expected from someone of Kat's elegance and general superior attitude. It was certainly not someplace a Fittes agent would go voluntarily.

Kat was already waiting outside, leaning against the side of the café, her rapier glinting in the sun. Instead of her usual Fittes uniform, however, Kat was wearing dark, high-waisted shorts and a crisp white blouse, with pristine, black ankle boots. Her eyes were masked by a pair of dark aviators, and her hair blew attractively in the breeze. Lucy froze, face hot, and considered turning around. It was at that moment, however, that Kat noticed her, waving at her from across the street. Lucy steadied herself, then marched over to the café, suddenly very self-conscious in her rumbled skirt and t-shirt.

"Hey," Kat said, pushing herself up off the wall. "You came."

Lucy nodded slowly. "Why wouldn't I?" She surreptitiously wiped her sweaty palms on her skirt.

Kat shrugged. "I dunno. I thought maybe Lockwood or Cubbins would have tried to stop you."

Lucy frowned. "That's stupid. They couldn't stop me."

A small grin crept across Kat's face. "Perfect. Shall we?" She motioned to the door. Lucy walked forward, surprised when Kat held it open for her. She clenched her fists tightly, hoping the pain would keep her face from turning red.

Once they had ordered their drinks and their sandwiches, the two girls took their food to a table in the back corner, an awkward silence hanging between them. Kat looked like she wanted to say something, but couldn't find the words. Lucy examined a framed newspaper clipping on the wall, eyes skimming over the words "FIVE STARS" and "SURPRISINGLY DELIGHTFUL." She sighed, picking at the crisps on her plate, and said, "So, how did you sleep?"

Kat raised an eyebrow, but there was no mocking in her voice when she answered, "Like a rock. You?"

Lucy shrugged. "Pretty well. I was sort of on edge, though, from everything that happened." She stared down into her tea, remembering the awful nightmare that had woken her around ten.

A warm hand closed over hers. Lucy looked up to see Kat frowning at her, concern in her steely eyes. Kat didn't say anything, didn't seem to know what to say, but she left her hand there for a few more seconds before digging into her panini. Lucy followed suit, suddenly starved. They ate in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, then Kat asked, "What's it like, living with those two idiots?"

Lucy snorted. "Lockwood and George? It's alright." Kat gave her a disbelieving look. "I mean, George is an absolute mess, always leaving his trainers in the hall for me to trip over in the morning, and sometimes he walks around in his underwear which no one wants to see. And Lockwood…well, he's Lockwood. Living with him is just…I don't know, exhausting. It's hard to keep up with his energy." Kat smirked, taking another bite of her sandwich. "But…they're my team. Even when they drive me crazy, I still love them."

It was the first time Lucy had ever admitted that she loved and cared for Lockwood and George. They were her family now, and she was theirs. She did love them, even when George left the ghost jar in the tub or Lockwood clammed up about his past.

Kat paused, looking almost wistful for a second before returning to her usual stony demeanor. "That sounds…nice."

"It is," Lucy said. "Don't you live with your team?"

"No." There was a brief silence. They both knew Lucy had been asking a different question. Kat's short, cold answer made her a little sad.

The mood at the table was suddenly less cheerful. Lucy cursed herself for prying, thinking she'd screwed everything up. Then, quick as a flash, Kat's hand darted out and stole a crisp from Lucy's plate. She popped it between her lips and chewed slowly, defiantly, eyes gleaming as Lucy stared at her in shock. There was another silent pause.

Then, both girls burst out laughing, giggling until their ribs were sore and the entire café was looking at them. They stayed for another hour, drinking tea and talking. When they left, they were holding hands, rapiers glinting in the bright summer sun.

They continued to meet up in secret for a month, sneaking out whenever cases became scarce. Kipps and Lockwood were still at each other's throats, and any time Lucy even glanced at Kat, Lockwood and George would give her identical looks of betrayal. Kipps and his crew weren't much better toward Kat, but she clearly cared far less of what her team thought.

She and Kat stole a few kisses here and there. Kat wasn't a fan of PDA, and there were a lot of people in the world who didn't look kindly on two young girls necking on the tube, but their rapiers and Kat's icy, piercing gaze saved them from any harassment the handful of times they did share a moment in public. Still, she wished they could have a little more privacy. Kat had an apartment of her own, courtesy of Fittes, but she shared it with five other agents, many of whom weren't fond of Lockwood & Co.

After a few disparaging comments made by Lucy about her own sense of style, the two girls found themselves in the H&M down on Regent Street. Kat, who always looked impeccable, dragged her around the multi-story shop, pulling skirts and dresses off the racks, shoving them into Lucy's hands to try on. Lucy doubted most of them would look good on her, but she was already fond of a black leather skirt and a faded denim jacket, so she let Kat continue on in her frenzy. Most of the items didn't seem to fit Kat's own personal style, and Lucy realized that she was trying to help Lucy find her own. The thought made her feel bubbly inside.

Eventually the two of them stumbled into a fitting room, pulling the curtain closed behind them. Lucy was a little embarrassed to strip down in front of Kat – her stomach was pudgy and her arms were fat and her thighs were too big and Kat was so slender and perfect – but Kat seemed to understand, and quietly turned her head to give Lucy some privacy. Lucy dressed quickly, in that leather skirt and denim jacket she'd been eyeing. She didn't bother putting a shirt on under the jacket, and she had to admit, she kind of liked the way it looked with her pink bra peeking out from the open space. The skirt sat high on her waist, sleek and cool, and Lucy could already imagine how it'd look torn and covered in ectoplasm stains. The idea was rather appealing.

"Oh."

Kat had turned around to appraise the outfit, and found herself dumbstruck. Lucy grimaced. "That bad, huh? I know it kinda makes my legs look fat but I rather like the leather-"

She was cut off by Kat's lips on her own, pushing her back against the mirror. Fingers inched up the skirt, stroking at the soft skin of her upper thigh. She bit back a groan, burying her lips in the crook of Kat's neck.

"That outfit is criminal," Kat rasped. "Please tell me you'll wear a shirt with it around Lockwood and Cubbins."

Lucy blushed at the idea of the boys seeing her in such a revealing outfit. "No, no. This look's just for you."

Kat grinned, like a cat spying a prize canary. "Good."

They left the store half an hour later, hand-in-hand. Lucy held a bag with the skirt and jacket in it, plus a couple of new bras that Kat had helped her pick out. They were a little too lacy for Lucy's taste, but Kat found them irresistible, and for that, Lucy liked them.

A week after the shopping trip, Lucy decided to come clean to Lockwood and George. Lockwood had been so adamant about the team being honest with each other, to the point where had revealed the contents of his mysterious, forbidden room – something that Lucy was still reeling from – and if she kept this secret any longer she was afraid she would never tell them.

It went just as poorly as Lucy could have feared.

Not only was Lockwood upset that she'd not been honest with him and George, but now she was "fraternizing with the enemy," and that was a betrayal to the institution of Lockwood & Co. George had told her that Kat was as duplicitous as any Fittes agent, and that she had no business messing about with one of them.

In the end, though, the whole thing was made disastrous by Lucy's bad temper. In a fit of rage, she told them both she'd rather fraternize with a thousand Fittes agents than spend the rest of her life alone and unloved, as they were both destined to do. There may have also been some choice words said about George's poor hygiene and Lockwood's fat ego, then she stormed from the house, leaving them both standing in the kitchen in shock. By the time Lockwood raced out after her, Lucy had disappeared.

When she called Kat from the payphone in hysterics, she hadn't expected to be given directions to a flat in an upscale part of town. But that's what Kat had done, voice even and cal. She'd then said that she had a few errands to run, but her roommate, Molly, would let her up, and to wait for her there.

Lucy couldn't help but feel a little disappointed when she reached the flat. She'd wanted to see Kat, to cry into her shoulder and maybe kiss her a little (a lot). But Molly was a sweet girl, who, she learned, had fantastic Sight and had only recently earned her title as Agent. She made Lucy some cocoa and handed her tissues when the tears threatened to fall. Kat was gone for over an hour, but when she saw Lucy curled up on the sofa, she swooped down and kissed her tenderly. Molly didn't seem surprised, and even smiled as she left them alone. None of the other flatmates had shown their faces the entire time Lucy had been there.

"I'm sorry I made you wait," Kat said shortly, settling down next to Lucy. "I had some things to take care of that couldn't wait."

"Kipps?" Lucy guessed, voice thick from crying. Kat shook her head, grinning viciously.

"Nah, an even bigger idiot than that. A couple of them, actually, but it's all been sorted out." She leaned closer, so that their noses were touching. "I only had to pull my sword on them once."

Lucy laughed. "I'm surprised it took that much to scare them. Usually you just have to look at someone to make 'em piss their pants."

"I know," Kat said. "You must be making me soft."

Lucy squawked in mock indignation, shoving Kat back against the arm of the couch. Both girls dissolved in a fit of laughter, something that Lucy never quite got used to. In public, Kat was stony at best. On the job, she was a downright ice queen, humorless and unemotional. But here, in these little moments together, she would laugh, and it was beautiful. Lucy grinned, resting her head on the back of the couch, watching Kat fondly. Kat caught her eye and grinned. That night they fell asleep on the couch together, legs tangled. What Kat's other flatmates thought of it, Lucy didn't know, but when they woke up in the morning, they found a quilt had been draped over them in the night.

When Lucy reluctantly returned to 35 Portland Row later that morning, she was surprised to find Lockwood and George both asleep at the kitchen table. Lockwood woke when she approached, sitting up straight, a distraught look on his face. He thumped George on the back of the head, waking him. George looked up groggily, readjusting his glasses. When he saw Lucy, he immediately looked sheepish.

"Luce-"

"Look-"

Lucy and Lockwood had both started speaking at the same time. Lucy shut her mouth, gesturing for Lockwood to continue. He took a deep breath, then looked up at her with sad, regretful eyes.

"Luce, I'm- we're sorry for how we acted yesterday. It was rude and unsupportive and we're both deeply ashamed." He rose and moved around the table so that he was standing right in front of her. "If you could find it in your heart to forgive us- we're a right couple of idiots, George and I. So please, Lucy, please forgive us." He took her hands, squeezing them gently. Behind him, George rolled his eyes.

"We're sorry, Luce," George said. "We don't care if you're seeing Kat, even if she is the enemy. Your happiness is important to us, shockingly."

Lucy grinned, a thought dawning on her. "Kat came to see you two last night."

They both looked down, embarrassed. "Yeah," George said. "Never seen her so mad. Though she was gonna stab us."

"We were already remorseful of what we had said," Lockwood said. "But she assured us that no one cares more for you than she does, and to insinuate otherwise was foolish and dangerous. Then she threatened us a little." Lucy smiled fondly. "It was terrifying."

"That's my girl," she murmured. Then, louder, she said, "I'm sorry, too, you know. I shouldn't have kept it a secret as long as I did. And I shouldn't have said that you two are going to die alone and unloved. At the very least, you'll always have each other." The boys glared at her, so she added, "And I'll always love you both. No matter when or how you die, it will not be unloved."

Lockwood beamed at her, and George struggled to hide a smile. "For our egos' sake," he said, cleaning his glasses on his grubby t-shirt. "Would you amend that to add how desirable and scrumptious you find us? And that we won't be dying alone because of all the girls that'll be throwing themselves at our feet?"

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Don't push it, Cubbins." She turned to go start a fresh pot of tea, leaving the boys behind her to stare.

George groaned. "Cubbins? She's definitely been spending too much time with Godwin."

Though Kipps and Lockwood both considered themselves above making bets these days, the two teams were as competitive as ever, much to Lucy and Kat's displeasure. Their latest case was a big one, and teams from almost every agency in London had been called it to help.

The site in question was a warehouse infected by a large cluster of Visitors. George had been researching day and night, but there were no historical records indicating any known deaths there. Lucy suspected they were plague victims, or something even older than that. Kat didn't care; she just wanted them gone.

The two teams approached the warehouse on the same night. The girls had been aware of this, had even discussed what their teammates had discovered about the place, but the boys greeted each other with shock and contempt.

"Don't get in our way, Kipps," Lockwood warned. "This job is ours."

"You can tell me all about that once we've contained the source," Kipps replied, a haughty look on his face. "Try not to get yourselves killed first, Tony."

The two teams raced forward into the warehouse, leaving Lucy and Kat hanging behind. Kat frowned, staring up at the warehouse like she was seeing it for the first time.

"I have a bad feeling about tonight," she said, turning to Lucy. "Be careful, okay?"

Lucy nodded, suddenly aware of how quiet the night was. Anxiety bubbled in her stomach. "You too. Don't be afraid to leave Kipps to die."

Chuckling softly, Kat closed the space between them, resting her forehead against Lucy's. "I would say the same about Lockwood, but I know you wouldn't listen."

Before Lucy could respond, Kat kissed her softly, soundly on the lips. They stayed that way for a minute, hands grasping at each other's faces before they broke apart, and headed toward the warehouse.

The night started off normally. The two teams avoided each other as much as they could, taking separate temperature measurements and using their Talents to scope out the potential source area. They passed by each other once, as Kipps' team was trudging up from the basement. They all looked unimpressed, except for Kat, whose stony face looked fatigued. As she passed, she gripped Lucy's arm.

"There's something down there," she whispered, voice tight. "It didn't show itself to us, but there's something down there and it's loud." Words failed her after that, but the look she gave Lucy spoke in volumes: Don't go down there. Be safe. Come back to me. I love you.

Lucy just smiled at her, pecking her cheek. I have to go. I love you too.

They parted quickly, following after their teams, but Kat cast one look back at Lucy before she descended into the basement. She stood tall, confident in her leather skirt and leggings; she had grown so much since Kat had first encountered her in the Archives the year before. Kat had the sudden, very real fear that she was never going to see her girlfriend again, as if Lucy were descending into the heart of the underworld itself. She shook her head and raced after Kipps. They were agents, this was their life. She couldn't let emotions get in the way; she had a job to do.

When Lucy and her team hadn't emerged from the basement half an hour later, Kat started to worry. There had been a few Visitors in the upper levels, grey hazes and other weak Type Ones, but nothing that would warrant hiring out every agency in London. Kipps and the others seemed disappointed by this; Kat knew it was a warning that things were going to go downhill, and fast.

She was right, of course. As soon as Kipps made some remark about the site's owners being delusional, Kat heard a scream from downstairs. For a split second she thought it was a psychic noise, the wail of a long-dead Visitor, but when she saw the pale, drawn faces of her team, she realized that the scream had been human.

Lucy.

Later, Ned Shaw and Bobby Vernon would recollect the next few minutes like this: rising up with the fiery power of some unholy, ancient being, Kat Godwin sprinted from the room as nothing more than a blonde and gray blur, rapier drawn majestically. Fearless, she jumped down entire flights of stairs, vaulting over the railings like it was child's play. The rest of the team could only stop and stare as she hurtled towards the basement, slashing her way through a Grey Haze that lingered in her direct path. Then she descended the basement steps without a moment's hesitation, spurred on by a second, louder scream. Then, she was gone, and the boys had no choice but to follow her into what was surely the depths of hell.

The sight that greeted them was certainly hellish. What looked like an army of floating, mutilated corpses surrounded Lockwood and his friends, who were huddled together in a circle of iron chain. Lucy was screaming again, hands clawing at her temples, face scrunched up in excruciating pain. Cubbins was pointing at the floor at shouting something, and Lockwood was chucking salt bombs into the crowd of Visitors. Kat stood frozen on the bottom step, eyes locked on Lucy.

At once, she and Lockwood seemed to work in tandem. Kat threw a salt bomb the moment Lockwood did, the combined blast radii clearing a hole for Kat to sprint through. She skidded to a stop beside Lucy, hopping into the chain circle beside her. Lucy had fallen to the ground now, and blood was trickling from her ears. No one else could hear the psychic disturbances that plagued her. Kat heard moans and sobbing and the screech of metal-on-metal, but nothing that warranted Lucy's reaction. The boys, as far as she could tell, were deaf to the Visitors.

But Lucy was Sensitive, more than any other person Kat knew. She knew Lucy could talk to Type Threes, had even witnessed her girlfriend arguing with Cubbins' stupid Ghost Jar, but she hadn't quite realized how vulnerable that made Lucy. There was pain in this warehouse, pain and horror, and she was going to get Lucy out of there, job be damned.

"I'm telling you, Lockwood!" George shouted, waving his rapier around wildly. "The source is under the floor, it has to be!"

Kat pulled Lucy upright, looping her girlfriend's arm over her shoulder. Lockwood looked skeptical, but was so distracted by Lucy's state and the growing fury of the Visitors, that he couldn't think of an argument.

"No," Lucy whispered, voice rough and soft. "It's in the walls. They're in the walls."

"What, Lucy?" Lockwood asked. "The walls?"

Lucy nodded. "Like Annie Ward, but so many of them." She turned to Kat, grasping at her collar. "They were so scared. And they died all alone, in so much pain."

Kat clenched her jaw. "Can you walk?" She asked, the words coming out as more of a hiss. Lucy nodded. "Good. Lockwood!" She barked. "I need you and Cubbins to use all the fire power you have. Kipps!" Her voice rose above the moans of the Visitors, to where her team was battling a few stragglers near the stairs. "Salt bombs, flares, whatever you've got! We're evacuating now."

The boys nodded, and prepared for the escape. Lucy squeezed Kat's hand, a determined grimace set on her face. Lockwood and Cubbins unclipped their remaining bombs, waiting for Kat's command.

"And…NOW!"

In a barrage of light and noise, the bombs and flares arced through the air and met in a pathway straight to the stairs. Without waiting for the others, Kat dragged Lucy through the smoke, barreling towards the exit. Vernon and Kipps were frozen scared on the steps, but Shaw had enough sense to run towards them, rapier drawn, fighting off the Visitors that were quick to regenerate. They made it to the stairs, and were ascending when Lucy looked back to Lockwood and George.

Through the haze, she saw a tall, looming figure materializing just behind Lockwood. George, who was almost to the stairs, didn't see it, and neither did Lockwood. Wrenching her hand from Kat's, Lucy sprinted towards the boys, shouting "Look out!"

With an impressive speed, Lucy dove towards Lockwood, tackling him to the ground, away from the outstretched arms of the Visitor. They fell to the floor with a crash, skidding backwards through the dust and salt. Lucy was curled protectively on top of Lockwood, though she only covered half his length. The Visitor swooped down on them, and Kat screamed.

When Lucy woke, her body felt like it had been submerged in dry ice, cold and sharp. Her rapier arm felt heavy, swollen, and her head pounded furiously. A soft, repetitive beeping came from some machine by her head, and itchy sheets were tucked up under her chin.

She opened her eyes, and realized she must be in the hospital. The room she was in was white and small, with a curtain dividing it in half. There didn't appear to be anybody in the other bed, for which she was grateful. Slowly, she turned her head, and found Kat sitting in a chair to her right, flipping through what looked like one of Lockwood's gossip magazines. When she saw that Lucy was awake, she tossed it aside like rubbish, and moved to crouch beside the bed.

For a moment, she said nothing, just staring at Lucy with relief in her eyes. Then, she said, "You absolute idiot. I told you to leave them for dead."

Lucy laughed softly. "And you also said you knew I wouldn't listen."

Kat let out a small, watery laugh, and Lucy was shocked to see her girlfriend in tears. She looked so different from the cold, humorless girl she'd met a year ago.

Sniffing, Kat said, "Just don't do it again. Anthony Lockwood is not worth your life."

Lucy chuckled, then her face grew serious. "Is everyone-? Are they-?"

"They're fine," Kat said, taking Lucy's hand in her own. "Better off than you, that's for sure." She motioned to Lucy's other arm, that was bandaged heavily. Where it met the shoulder, Lucy could see the skin was a horrid blue color.

"Ghost touched?" She breathed. She remembered pushing Lockwood to the floor, remembered shielding both of them with her arm, and a flash of icy-hot pain. But after that, nothing. "Damn."

"You're lucky Kipps had called DEPRAC for backup, and that a Rotwell team had already been on their way. The Rotwell agents had adrenaline in their kits and because of that you didn't die before the ambulance could arrive." Now Kat looked angry, even scared. "You nearly didn't make it. That arm of yours will take a while to heal, but it will heal. Your heart, though, if the rot had reached that far-" She broke off, voice cracking.

"Did you find the source?"

Kat nodded, clearing her throat. "Yeah, the boys went back during the day with DEPRAC. You were right, there were dozens of bodies bricked up in the walls of the warehouse basement. Lord knows how that happened, but Cubbins seems to think they're the victims of a turn-of-the-century serial killer by the name of Harold Peter Walsh."

Lucy shivered. "I could feel their terror, all of them. He must have tortured them first, or kept them prisoner in the warehouse, because their cries were so loud, so…painful." She stopped, took a deep breath, and relaxed. "At least it's all over now."

"Well…" Kat said, scratching the back of her neck. "Not quite. Lockwood and Cubbins aren't too happy with you at the moment, getting Ghost Touched and whatnot. You're in for quite an earful as soon as they hear you're awake."

Lucy groaned. "Fantastic."

As if on cue, Lockwood and George burst into the room, both looking slightly manic. Lockwood was holding a bouquet of daisies, and George was struggling not to drop all of the books and papers he had haphazardly clutched in his arms.

"Luce!" Lockwood cried. "You're awake!"

"Er-"

"You will not believe the research I found on that warehouse, Lucy. It's horrific." George plopped down on the foot of her bed, squashing her feet with his fat bottom. "Turns out this guy, Walsh, was notorious for-"

Lockwood shoved him over, so that they were both sitting in front of her like two eager puppies. "Of course, we're very mad at you for being so reckless – though that recklessness did save my life, so I'll let it pass this time." He spoke animatedly, waving the bouquet around like he often did with his rapier. Kat took it from him and set it on the little table next to Lucy's bed. "But we're so relieved to see you awake. How's the arm? Do you need anything?"

Lucy stared at them both, a little dazed. "Some water would be nice."

"Right! On it!" Lockwood sprang up again, but before he left, he bent down and pressed a quick kiss to the top of her head. "I am grateful," he said. "You did a very brave, very stupid thing for me. Thank you." Then he was gone from the room, the tail of his coat flapping behind him. Kat rolled her eyes.

"Now, then, after he was apprehended," George continued, completely ignoring Lockwood, "He admitted to dozens, if not hundreds of murders, but took the secret of their burial spots with him to the gallows. And then, it gets even more gruesome-"

As he rambled on, Lucy's eyes met Kat's, and they smiled at each other. The life of an agent was often short, it was true, but they had at least one more day together. It was all they could ask for.

"So, how much longer before you can put that arm to good use?" Kat asked, munching on a biscuit. They were chocolate and homemade, dropped off by George's mother after she had heard of Lucy's hospitalization. Lucy flexed her newly unbandaged hand and smiled.

"A few more weeks. They said I'm healing remarkably fast. It's a good thing, I suppose, but I'll miss having George and Lockwood wait on me all the time." She took a sip of her tea, brewed just to her liking by George. Kat smirked.

"Yeah, it's not like they're much use, otherwise," she said. It sounded mean, if you didn't know Kat, but Lucy knew she was just teasing, even if she didn't see why Lucy liked hanging around the boys so much.

Lucy leaned back against the couch arm, feet propped up in Kat's lap. Kat was rubbing soft, slow circles into her calves, massaging the muscle there, blue eyes unfocused from fatigue.

"Kipps is working you too hard again," Lucy said with a frown. "You're exhausted."

"Nah, just haven't been sleeping well. You know how the nightmares can get." This was the truth, though not in its entirety. Kat did have the occasional Visitor-inspired nightmare; every agent did. But the ones that had been plaguing her lately did not feature gruesome spectres or violent poltergeists – they always showcased a lone, sad, shivering apparition, with dark hair and dark eyes, wearing a torn leather skirt and leggings. "But it's okay. Really."

Lucy didn't look convinced, and moved so that she was snuggled up against Kat's side, head tucked under her chin. Kat smiled, and played with the hem of Lucy's sweatshirt.

"Did you steal this from my closet?" She finally asked, though she knew the answer. There was no other reason that Lucy would own a light gray sweatshirt with FITTES AGENCY stamped across the front.

Lucy smirked. "Of course. It's soft and smells like you."

Chuckling, Kat closed her eyes, breathing in the scent of Lucy's hair: store brand shampoo, sweat, and something that she simply called Lucy. "I wish you had an agency sweatshirt that I could steal."

Lucy laughed. "Then you'd walk around with LOCKWOOD & CO. on your chest. You'd probably give Kipps a heart attack."

"Mm, it'd be worth it." Kat yawned, and Lucy snuggled closer. "Have the boys gone to bed?"

"Oh, they're probably just hiding. George is probably harassing the Ghost Jar in the comfort of his own room, and Lockwood's probably…well, doing whatever it is Lockwood does in his room when we're not around."

"Masturbate?" Kat asked, laughing. Lucy gagged.

"Don't say things like that. This is Lockwood we're talking about."

Kat snorted. "Yes, Lockwood, who happens to still be a teenage boy. C'mon, don't tell me the thought's never crossed your mind. You live with him."

Lucy blushed. "Ew. Whatever. You gonna stay the night?"

"Well, I'm certainly not going to turn down such an inviting and eloquent offer," Kat retorted, grinning. "Of course I am."

"Good," Lucy said, then she buried her face into the crook of Kat's neck. A moment later, her breathing had slowed, and she was fast asleep. Kat smiled softly.

"Night, Luce," she whispered, then closed her eyes and let herself drift off. There was no fear of nightmares tonight, not while Lucy was safe in her arms.

Outside the house on Portland Row, the world was dark and cold, and dead men walked the streets, drifting through alleys and across parks. But inside, it was warm, and the sleeping inhabitants were very much still alive, even for just a little bit longer.