Lucy:

The rest of the day passed in a flurry of activity as some days tend to do when one is in the company of Anthony Lockwood.

It was all about ordering fresh supplies, packing and organising. After my little fit downstairs, I really didn't have the energy to run around like the house was on fire, but Lockwood was caught up by the thrill of whatever chase we were on that he didn't tell us.

And when Lockwood was caught up by the thrill of the chase, everyone was caught up by the thrill of the chase.

So, I pushed through the fatigue and the headache. Luckily, the others had offered to do the heavy things like preparing Iron chains and so I was down in the storage, packing up the smaller items we might need.

I was standing in front of the shelves, counting salt canisters.

A hand suddenly landed on my shoulder and I jumped, gave a little scream and accidentally threw salt on my would-be attacker.

It turned out to be Lockwood who had snuck up on me. He turned me around by the shoulder and looked at me with an amused smile.

"Careful there, Luce, I'm not a ghost yet," he grinned

I surprisingly found myself being annoyed rather than swooning.

"That's not funny, Lockwood." I frowned at him.

Hi smile turned indulgent and perhaps a bit condescending.

"I'm sorry Luce. I can see that you're a bit uh… sensitive today. Are you okay?"

I sighed. Was I okay? Obviously not. I didn't feel like talking about it, but I didn't know when I would get another chance, so I decided to grab the bull by the horns.

"Why have you been avoiding me?" I asked, looking him directly in the eye.

He looked taken aback at first, but then his cheeks turned pink and he scratched the back of his head. "I haven't been avoiding you."

I huffed and turned back around "If you have to lie to me, at least have the decency to do it properly," I hated than my voice sounded wobbly,

"If I've been avoiding you, it hasn't been on purpose, Lucy."

I tried to focus on the salt canisters again "Sure you haven't. It's the wind that just happens to carry you away every time I enter a room,"

"I just—it's hard, Lucy," he sighed heavily and turned me back around.

"Why is it hard?" I asked him. "Everything used to be so easy with us," I felt tears starting to form again and looked down, angry at myself for not being able to control it.

He put a hand under my chin "Because every time I look at you, I see you on those train tracks," he sighed, "and every time it's Kipps coming to the rescue," he finished bitterly.

I slowly blinked, "Quill?" I choked incredulously, "You're angry because Quill saved me? I think we should just be happy that I was saved at all!"

"It's not that I'm angry," Lockwood huffed in frustration, "I just feel—I feel like he's taking you away from me."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"–and I know he'd been trying to take you away from the company, hasn't he? Several times - all the way back since you met him! He even told me so!" Lockwood continued with his voice rising higher and higher "And now you won't come back to the company! What am I supposed to believe?" he ended up half-yelling.

I laughed, perhaps a little hysterically because I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"My reasons for leaving the company still stand! They're the same now as when I left and the reason, I'm hesitant to return! And Quill was trying to recruit me! Because I'm good!"

Lockwood scoffed, "Kipps doesn't want you because you're good– he just wants you because I have you," he rolled his eyes.

The tears started running down my cheeks.

"Try to say that sentence slowly inside your head and hear how absolutely horrible a thing that was to say," I told him with shaking voice, "if you ever lose me, it's not because Quill has taken me from you. I'm a person, not your favourite rapier. If you ever lose me it'll be because you pushed me away. Quill is a good friend-"

"-but that's not all he wants to be, is it?" Lockwood interrupted irritably.

"As opposed to you, apparently," I sniffled bitterly and walked around him. "You can pack your own damn salt," I mumbled over my shoulder.

"Lucy, I'm sorry!" he called after me, but I kept on walking. He didn't follow.

I walked out and halfway up the stairs; George was standing still. If he hadn't just helped me earlier, I would be less tolerant about his blatant eavesdropping. His face was as unreadable as ever, but he put a hand on my arm and gave it a little squeeze. "Go rest, Luce. I'll handle this." I nodded and stepped upwards, but he didn't let go of my arm.

"You know he doesn't mean to do it, right. He doesn't want to hurt you," he mumbled.

I sighed, "Maybe he does, maybe he doesn't, but it obviously isn't stopping him from doing it,"

George only nodded and released my arm.

I trudged the long way up all the stairs to my room in the attic. I gave the dresser a hard kick that didn't feel very satisfying and flopped down on my bed. I fell asleep in seconds.

When I woke up again, it was dark outside. Lockwood sat next to my bed, silhouetted against the light. He was caressing the side of my face with cold fingers.

"I'm sorry, Luce," he whispered when he saw I was awake.

I didn't know what to say. It's okay or I forgive you? But it wasn't and I didn't. At least not yet, so I waited for him to keep talking or get out.

He sighed when I didn't respond. "I don't know what to do, Lucy," he rubbed his face and he looked exhausted. "I feel like I'm hurting you no matter what I do. I care about you, you know."

Well, I'm in love with you

"Every time I hurt you, I hurt myself and it feels so stupid and pointless," he ran a hand through his hair.

"Then stop it." I whispered.

He looked into my eyes and I could see he had been crying too. "How can I do that? Half the time I don't even know that I'm hurting you until you're already crying, or you've run away,"

"Don't make it sound like I'm some sort of coward," I growled,

"Or I make you angry." He shrugged and looked at his sock-clad feet. Near it was one of the throwing knives I'd gotten from–

"Kipps gave you this, didn't he?" Lockwood asked and picked it up.

I only nodded. I didn't have the energy for another argument about Quill.

He sat for a while and studied it, turning it around so it caught the light again and again.

"It's dangerous to leave blades like that on the floor, you know," he told me conversationally, "Knowing Kipps, these things are wicked shar–shit!"

He predictably cut himself. I snatched the blade from his hand before he hurt himself further.

He stuck his bleeding thumb in his mouth, and I snorted.

"I must have dropped it earlier when I was packing." I defended. "The others are in my bag."

"You packed the – of course. They're probably excellent weapons."

I nodded. "Do you remember that time when I threw my rapier at Bickerstaff and almost pierced George's nose in the process?"

He grinned and for a second, I saw the Lockwood I was in love with and somehow that made me incredibly sad because I realised how rare it was for him to smile that genuinely, these days.

"You want to learn properly, I take it?" he asked.

I nodded eagerly, "Can you show me?"

Lockwood grimaced. "No," he sighed dejectedly, "you should – you should talk to Quill. He can do it. He's a good teacher."

I frowned, "If you'd rather I didn't –"

"No, it's fine, Lucy –"

"Is it though? Because earlier today you basically told me you couldn't stand to look at me because Quill saved me. I'd hate to find out what happens if he actually teaches me something."

Lockwood scratched the back of his head. "I'm sorry, Lucy," he sighed "It's just that I feel like you're here, but at the same time, I can't get you to come back to the company, so if you're not a part of Lockwood and co, why are you here?"

I looked incredulously at him "Why – you asked me to move back in, you idiot!"

"I just thought that you'd be a member of the team too! What's to stop you from leaving again? And Kipps is ready there on the side-lines, and already tried to recruit you so –"

"Lockwood, Quill isn't an agent anymore. What exactly do you think he would want me for?"

I'd never seen him blush so much in all the time I'd known him.

Then I realised the implications and turned pink as well. Especially since I had some visuals to back them up.

I took several deep breaths, trying to get my anger and my… something else under control.

"I just need to know, Lockwood," I started with a shaking voice, "If I don't re-join the company – do I have to find somewhere else to live?"

...

Quill:

"So, how are things in the land of unemployment?"

"Cubbins?" I frowned and removed the receiver from my ear, staring at it and waited for it to turn into something ridiculous like a banana or a hotdog. I realized quickly though that it wasn't some bizarre nightmare because there was no way my subconscious had imagination enough to invent a reason for George Cubbins to call me.

"Listen Quill, I need a favour." I repeated my action of staring at my phone, expecting something to happen. Then I stretched the chord, pulling the phone with me to look out of my kitchen window. No fire or brimstone, so it wasn't the end of the world.

"Okay? What can I do for you, Cubbins?" I asked slowly.

He told me what he wanted, and it sounded like a horrible idea.

"And Tony doesn't know? You're sure that's smart?"

"Lockwood can piss off," Cubbins cursed. I checked the window again just to be sure. Cubbins was notoriously loyal to Tony.

"Besides, I think there's someone else who would be happy to see you," Cubbins continued.

My heart annoyingly skipped a beat.

I cleared my throat "Fine. But if Tony stabs me to death, I'm coming back to haunt you."

I was waiting near the station where Cubbins had told me to go. Their deliveries had arrived before them. I signed for it and was standing there, guarding their stuff like an idiot.

I must have gotten lost in my own thoughts because I hadn't noticed Tony until he was almost in my face.

"What are you doing here?" He ground out.

The rest of the group came up behind him. He must have been really pissed off to have run away from them.

I shrugged casually, "I'm waiting on your sorry lot."

"Why?" he hissed.

I raised an eyebrow at him condescendingly "Well, I was invited,"

Tony ripped around to look at Lucy, full of accusation. His long coat was flapping ridiculously around him.

Cubbins cleared his throat, "I asked him to come," he informed.

"And I booked the tickets and the rooms" Munro provided as well, raising her hand a little. I had no idea she had been in on it as well and I started to wonder what this mutiny was all about.

Lucy for her part, looked shocked, but if it was because of Lockwood's anger, the other's underhandedness or my presence, I didn't know.

Then I looked at the group more closely and my confusion grew steadily. Munro had a large bump on her forehead and was supporting most of her weight on her left leg, indicating that something was wrong with her right. She had a bandaged cut on one arm.

Cubbins looked worse. He had a large bruise on his cheekbone, a cut along his jawline, a small nick at the neck and a split lip.

Lucy's eyes were red, her hand was bandaged in what seemed to be a kitchen towel and she had a tiny cut on her right cheek, but otherwise, she looked like the only injuries she had were the ones I already knew about.

"Tony, what the hell have you done to your team?" I blurted in horror.

He looked at me and then back at his team and did a double take as if he hadn't noticed the state, they were in until now.

Lucy coughed uncomfortably and turned the colour of the beetroot smoothie I'd had for breakfast. "That would be my doing," She admitted sheepishly, "hard training,"

I chuckled in disbelief, but it soon turned into full laughs, "If that's what you do for training," I got out, pointing at Cubbins and Munro, "I'd love to see what you can do when it's serious," I couldn't stop grinning at her even if I tried.

She blushed even further but gave me a small smirk. She was breath-taking like that. A little shy maybe, but confident and proud at the same time. I couldn't tear my eyes away.

A cough brought me back to reality and I struggled to keep my own facial colour under control.

"Right, Cubbins, you had something to show me, yes?"

Cubbins looked at me and even though he was almost unreadable, that small quirk of his right eyebrow told me that he'd noticed my little zone-out. "Later," was all he said. I wanted to punch that annoying face of his sometimes.

Tony must have realised that he'd been outmanoeuvred because he only stood with his arms crossed and scowled at the ground. Lucy put a hand on his shoulder, but he pulled away from her. The hurt look on her face made me want to punch Tony considerably more than I wanted to punch Cubbins which was saying something. I shook my head in disappointment.

Pearls before swine.

The train ride provided the most silent and tense atmosphere I had ever experienced since I told my parents I wanted to become an agent.

We had found a compartment and Munroe and Cubbins were quick to manoeuvre Lucy into a seat between them, leaving myself and Tony to sit next to each other awkwardly. We both tried to sit as far apart as possible. Lucy put her feet on the seat between us for which I was grateful as it provided us with a sort of barrier.

"Does anyone want to fill me in on what the case here is?" I tried to break the sliceable tension.

"A Creeping Shadow," Tony informed with the most fake serious tone I'd ever heard.

"Seriously? That's what you have to go on? That could be anything."

"Also, Cold Maidens, Lurkers, a Shining Boy, Wraiths and Phantasms," he continued.

"A cluster then." I concluded, "They don't have a local agency I take it?"

"Not all places do, you know." Lucy pointed out.

"I know," I rolled my eyes. "I was Fittes Division Leader, even if it didn't last too long, remember? I was working with Stanley Baker to see if we could make a traveling task force of sorts, for smaller towns and not just for the big outbreaks." I scratched my neck a little "Ned was from a small town near Exeter. He had plans to leave and go home to start his own agency once he got his Fourth Grade. They didn't have an agency either," I drew in a deep breath and blew out my cheeks, "Wasn't to be though. He was a month away from getting his qualifications when he died,"

I cleared my throat a little uncomfortably. "Anyway, Baker promised to continue working on getting the task force up and running, now that I'm... not there anymore," I finished awkwardly, looking anywhere but the other occupants.

I looked up at Lucy when she nudged me gently with her boot. She smiled at me, "That sounds great Quill,"

I shrugged, "We'll see. It's out of my hands now, but Baker is good,"

The silence that followed was a bit more relaxed. Lucy fell asleep with her head on Munro's shoulder and I sat, staring out of the window. I was pulled out of my thoughts when someone cleared their throat.

Munro was sending me a pointed look and looked down with pursed lips.

I hadn't even noticed it, but my right hand was absently playing with the laces of Lucy's boot and caressing her leggings-clad calves the same way as I'd done when she had fallen asleep on my sofa.

Luckily, no one else (primarily Tony) had noticed. My face heated up and I withdrew my hand carefully, not to draw attention to it.

Munro sent me an obnoxiously knowing smile and I intuitively knew she had the potential to be just as bad and nosy as Kate. I groaned internally. Heaven help me if those two ever met.

Not long after, we reached our stop and we struggled to pull all our things with us and not forget anything on board. No one wanted to get caught in a cluster with no iron chains.