The bed was very warm, very soft. I groaned, and pulled myself closer to the sheets, closing my eyes. My head throbbed, everything ached.

After a while, I opened my eyes, while moving around to get myself comfortable, my eyes fell on Lockwood, who was watching me intently in a chair. His arms were crossed. A tight sort of darkness obscured his eyes.

"You were in the Other Side for days, Lucy." He said, finally. "And you hid the spirit capes so I couldn't go in to save you."

"Oh." I winced. "Well, about that."

"'About that?'" Lockwood's voice shook dramatically, it was difficult to understand him. "About what? About you making an illegal trip to the Other Side? About going on your own? About not telling me?"

"I guess all of them." Nonchalance was my only hope now- I had to play this down.

"Why didn't you go with me?" He cried.

"I can handle myself."

"You came back freezing, lips blue. Your hair is white, Lucy! You were so exhausted you passed out."

"I didn't tell you, Lockwood, because I thought you'd say no. Wait—scratch that. You'd want to come with me, because you're suicidal! It was something I had to do on my own."

"If you had just told me, Lucy—"

"Next time I will, Lockwood."

Lockwood fell to his knees by the bed. "Will you tell me why you went to the Other Side in the first place?"

I looked away. "I went to see the skull."

"The skull?" His eyebrows shot up. "It was there?"

"Yes." I said. "He was waiting for me."

"But it's gone now?"

"Yes."

He was gone, and I didn't even know his name.

We were silent for a while, the birds in the trees chirping. Sunlight streamed through the window. Lockwood put his finger on my lips, causing goosebumps to travel all along my face.

"Lucy… your lips..." Lockwood said, the darkness still obscuring his eyes. He clenched his lips. On impulse, I raised my hand and cupped his face. This did calm him down slightly- although he flinched at the iciness of my hand.

"Promise me you won't do anything dangerous again without me?" He said finally.

"I expect you to make that same promise."

"Okay. I promise you, Lucy."

"I promise you, Lockwood."

Again, we lapsed into silence. I snuggled deeper into the covers. "Lockwood?"

"Hm?"

"Who's bed is this?"

At this, Lockwood chuckled slightly.

"The bed you've been sleeping in is mine, Lucy. But you're welcome to use it as well."

Life moved on. Ghosts cases were solved, Holly tried (to her dismay) to cajole everyone into eating seed-muffins (me and George ended up feeding ours to the birds when she turned her head) and George still hogged the hot water.

My hair had thick streaks of white in it, and my lips were constantly icy and hard. My third (and hopefully last) trip to the Other Side had permanently changed my mind and body.

When Lockwood and Co. had arrived back into Portland Row for a spot of coffee and cake, (The murdered lover had been especially violent- everyone had arrived in tired but good spirits) they had arrived to the whole place encased in ice, shades and lurkers floating around the borders of the house. Lockwood had rushed in, silver rapier gleaming, and had found the spirit-portal in my room. Everyone had ransacked the house for the spirit capes, but- for fear of what horrors were hidden underneath- had neglected to check under my bed. According to Holly, Lockwood had waited in my room. At one point, he seemed to be going in himself, with or without a spirit cape. Quill had held him back.

"You must never do that again!" Holly had scolded. She then pulled me close into a hug. "Oh, I couldn't stand it if you died. I'm so glad you're back."

"George?" I asked one day, in the library. Sunlight streamed in, playing along the gold binding on the book George was currently reading, as he sat behind the desk. "If a ghost were to touch a human, is there any chance that human wouldn't be ghost-touched?"

"What an odd question." George said. He pushed his glasses against his eyes. " I might discuss that with the Orpheus Society. I think, in theory, if a ghost were to dim down it's energy, it would be possible for a few seconds. Perhaps."

I nodded and turned to leave the library.

"Oh and Lucy?"

I paused, my hand on the doorknob.

"It must've been one hell of a kiss."