So, it has been requested that I continue this, so here it is! Thank you so much for all your feedback and lovely reviews!

Chapter 3

Freezing. Fucking. COLD!

Relic Men to damned! Get me inside and away from Anthony Lockwood. I stormed into the house not even looking to see if there was anybody waiting in the shadows, though I could hear Lockwood poking at things in the darkness with his rapier. I stormed up to my room and slammed the door. Him and his stupid bet almost got us killed! He really did have an obsession with winning and it had finally landed us in deep shit. The mirror was taken care of, but that left us with god only knows how many relic men after us!

I threw off my dress, leaving it in a pile on the floor, throwing the rest of my clothes down to join it, before I stepped into my little bathroom, and pulled the curtain closed, so I could have a shower

"Stupid!" I shouted, not sure if I was on about Lockwood, or myself "Stupid! Idiot! Arsehole!" I continued, letting it all out of my system.

"Bit harsh, Luce" I heard and I froze

"Lockwood?! Get out!" I squealed, even though there was a curtain between us. When did he come into my room?!

"I just want to apologise" He continued as if I wasn't totally naked!

"Yeah, well, could you apologise after I've washed half of the Themes off me?" I hissed

"No, actually. I can't. If I don't do this now, I won't do it at all" I heard a sigh leave him, followed by the sound of my bed creaking as he, presumably, sat down on it

"Well, hurry up" I grumbled and allowed him to stay, while I started shampooing my hair

"I… I never meant for any of this to happen" He started and I couldn't hold in my scoff "I'm only trying to save our agency, Luce. I don't want you to have to go and work for Fittes, like you said; no smell of burnt toast" He tried to joke, but the anger I had for him held. Combine that with the embarrassment I felt at having him there while I was totally naked behind the curtain, and let's just say; he's lucky I haven't knocked him out "I really am sorry we ended up in the Themes. And I'm sorry I couldn't just let DEPRAC take over at Winkman's. I'm sorry I got us into this mess with Kipps. He just riles me up and pushes me. I wasn't going to agree, after everything we went through to save us… But his face was just so smug…" He trailed off, and I couldn't help but agree. Honestly, if he hadn't rose to his challenge, I probably would have questioned him thinking he was sick or something! "I'm also sorry that we got stuck in the Black Library and you had to kiss me-" I couldn't help but be taken aback by that last one, to the point I couldn't help but interrupt

"I'm not" I piped up and he paused "That is probably the only thing I'm not mad about" I explained and I could feel the tension in his hesitation to continue

"W-Well… I suppose I'm not all that sorry about that, I just wish it would have happened under better circumstances" I couldn't help but feel some of my anger dissipate as a smile made it's way onto my face

"Continue telling me everything you've done wrong" I urged, and he scoffed

"I'm sorry I freaked out on the stairs at the auction…" I couldn't let him take blame for that

"In your defence, they were psychopaths… I don't blame you for it, but at least you saved him from having his death made a game. And he died saving us" I wished I could wrap him up in a hug. I'd never seen Lockwood like that. It just proved to me that he did have a heart in there somewhere.

"I… I guess I hadn't thought about it like that… You're right, of course" I could tell he was starting to get lost in his own head, so I turned off the shower, then cringed

"Uh… Do me a favour?" I called

"Huh?" He snapped back to himself

"Hand me my towel? It's on the back of the desk chair" I managed, blushing to the roots of my hair

"O-Oh" I heard his steps as he walked across the room, then slowly approached where I stood on the other side of the curtain. I stuck my hand out and he pressed the towel into it. I was quick to wrap myself up, but then paused as I heard his foot steps walking away, but not leave the room entirely. I took a deep breath and made sure my towel was secure, before I walked out of the curtain, running my hands through my hair

"You shouldn't blame yourself, Lockwood… You made his death actually mean something" I walked over to my mirror and grabbed my brush off the side, but it was quickly snatched from my grip. I didn't even hear him approach me! I went to turn to him, but he spun me back to face the mirror, and started gently running the brush through my hair. It felt amazing

"You're right" He nodded, but I could still see it haunting him in the reflection

"I'm serious. I'll forgive you if you stop being so hard on yourself" I went to turn, but he stopped me by wrapping an arm around my middle, my hairbrush falling to the floor beside us

"Why do you always try to make me feel better?" He mumbled, pulling me back against him

"Uh…. Because I'm your friend… I don't want to see you down" I breathed, bringing a hand up to grab onto his bare forearm to keep myself steady

"You shouldn't be wasting your breath on me, Lucy. I'm not worth it" He growled in my ear, his head coming to rest on my shoulder

"D-Don't say that, Lockwood" I pushed myself further back against him, and he grunted, but held me tighter "You are worth it. You're good at what you do, you have people here who care for you; imagine if it was just me and George here? What would we do? You're our leader… And-" I cut myself off before I said something I regretted

"And what?" He pushed, his breath brushing against the shell of my ear. I just shook my head "Come on, Luce" He begged and brought his other arm up to join his first, pulling me as close as he could "You can't say all those nice things, and then stop at the last one" He chuckled

"I don't want to inflate your ego anymore… You might not fit through the door" I tried to joke

"Inflate away" He pressed his lips against the column of my neck

"A-And… I meant what I said earlier; You really shouldn't have let me in… Because if something did happen to you… I'd lay there every night, hoping and praying that you'd walk through the door… One more time" I felt myself well up at the thought of Lockwood not being around anymore

"Luce… I'm not going anywhere" He buried his face in my neck and squeezed me in a hug "The bottom of the Themes used to seem like a far more comfortable place to be, but-" He breathed me in "But not anymore… There's too much for me here… Too many people I care about" He placed another kiss to my neck and I shivered as his lips lingered, but now wasn't really the time. George was due back any minute. So I turned my head, forcing his face out of my neck, and placed a soft kiss on his lips. He groaned and tried to deepen the kiss, but I pulled away "Just... Don't give up on me" He whispered against my lips

"Never" I hummed and pecked him lips. He tried again to deepen it, but I shoved him "Later. We have too much to do" I chuckled when he pouted "George is due back soon, and I'm still standing here in my towel… It's getting a bit cold" I smirked as his eyes darkened

"I'm sure I can help you warm up" He growled and tried to kiss me again, but I placed a finger against his lips

"Later" I whispered and he let out a groan, but released me from his tight grip. I ran around, grabbing clothes from within my wardrobe and drawers, then I sent him a wink, before I disappeared behind the bathroom curtain. He still hadn't moved, so I whipped my towel off and held it out from between the curtains for him to see, then dropped it on the floor

"Come on, Luce" He groaned, before I heard his frustrated foot steps leaving my room. I laughed to myself and got dressed.

I know it's not terribly long, but it is fluffy and I couldn't help myself! I'll aim to post another chapter very soon!

x