Hello, my lovelies! I am terribly sorry for the long wait. I do hope you can forgive me. I wrote this chapter in past tense because I found that it was easier to write and to characterize as the series was written in first person, past tense. The final chapter will be written in past tense as well. So without further delay… Here's chapter 2! (I also apologise for an mistakes as I wrote this late at night and I couldn't really see the keys.)


Lucy POV

It seemed like a fairly normal day to me at first. The sun was shining, George and I argued profusely over trivial matters and Kipps pestered me about joining Fittes again.

You'd think he'd get the point after 32 rejections.

It all came crashing down after that.

After I yelled at Lockwood to get the door for once, I assembled a somewhat presentable tea-service for the unexpected guests. I suppose it was best that Lockwood answered the door as I probably would have been an irritable mess, grouchily snapping at whatever I deemed to be an annoyance.

I hummed quietly, quite pleased with myself. Not for being a grumpy beast, though I was rather proud of my cynical, thorny attitude. No, this was a hum of contentment. I was truly happy with the way my life was at the moment. I had a new family, a stable job and a roof over my head. In terms of my new "family", I thought of George as the annoying step-brother, or maybe a cousin that just really liked to pushed my buttons. You know, happy fun-times for all. Then… Then there was Lockwood. I wasn't entirely sure what role he played in my "family". All I know is that it's important. Very important. Important enough to make me want to jump off a roof just because he asked me to. Important enough for me to still hold on to that necklace he gave me.

I reached up to clutch the diamond that hung suspended from my neck. Just thinking about him makes my heart race. The way he holds my hand when we're about to leap into perilous situations. The way he leans in ever so slightly when he's talking to me, as though he wishes to hang on to my every word. Of course, he does this with everyone, which brings me back down to Earth. It seems he's never quite able to turn off that special brand of charm that is unique to him, always flashing that megawatt grin and speaking oh so politely to the ladies. I clench my hand harder at that thought. My chest was suddenly throbbing lightly.

Must be indigestion.

"Thinking about dear old Lockwood again, are we?" a cold, slimy voice oozed past my ear. I stiffened. "No, what makes you think that?"

"You know Lucy, you should really invest in some fire-proof pants if you keep spouting nonsense like that. Otherwise, you may just get burned." The ghost skull should get a reality check if he thought that I was the one that spouted nonsense. Well, I wasn't entirely sure what reality he lived in so it may be hard to check.

I'm just about to retort when I hear footsteps coming down the hall. I keep my back to the door as I make a futile attempt at looking presentable. Emphasis on the words futile and attempt.

"Hello how may I- WHAT THE BLOODY HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"

"Oooooooohh…" The skull whispered in my ear. "Looks like things just got interesting."


So…. Yeah. Sorry for the late update, and I apologise for the short chapters. If I had more content to fill it with, I totally would, but I don't.

Please review as it motivates me. Seriously. I just read through my reviews and it made me happy enough to write this little chapter in about an hour. And this is after months of Hiatus, so I think that's pretty damn impressive.

Until next time, my lovelies! XOXO