The Shimmering Wraith (Lockwood and Co. Fanfic)

Betrayal- 1.

                I was panting heavily by the time I made it out the front door, clutching the hilt of my rapier as though it would somehow protect me. But there were no ghosts out here. I could hear someone clattering down the steps, and I pressed myself tight to the wall, hoping I wouldn't be seen. I didn't want to talk to Lockwood, not now. Not after what had happened.

                "Lucy?" Finn stepped outside, breathing in the cool night air. He turned to face me, and I wondered, stricken, how he had found me so easily. He gave me a crooked smile, almost as though he could guess my thoughts. "I'm attuned to you now. I can feel things about you," he waved a hand vaguely as he tried to explain, "Like where you are, and your emotions, if they're strong enough. Which they are now," he gave a little shrug. "You should come back. Lockwood is distraught. He would be here, but George is forcing him to stay put. He wants to give you some space."

                "Space," I said, letting out a long breath. That was exactly what I needed. I shut my eyes tightly, trying to block out the ghost's memories. Although I was no longer touching the necklace glimpses of her past still flashed across my mind. "I don't want to go back home tonight. I can't see Lockwood again. Not yet."

                I choked up, feeling a pressing weight on my chest as I realised how much this had affected me. I didn't want to be apart from Lockwood, but at the same time I couldn't stand looking into his face when I thought of what had happened to his mother. What had nearly happened to me in that room. The Visitor could have killed me, and if not for my quick thinking I would no longer be breathing. How did Lockwood not think about the effect it might have on me when he gave it to me? He knew how my talent worked; he'd seen it firsthand. I pushed the palms of my hands into my eye sockets, trying to force away the tears. But still they came. Finn put his arm around me, making soothing noises as his lips pressed against my ear.

                "Let's get you out of here," he said, helping me navigate the yard as we headed towards the street. "My parents' house isn't far away. I'm staying there while they're in France. My place is a bit out of London, but I stay at my parents' place every time we're working on a big case. They're often away on business, so I have the house to myself the majority of the time."

                "Does Quill stay there too?" I asked.

                "No, we can't stand each other," Finn said, smiling when my laugh came out a nervous hiccup. "He has an apartment on the North bank that he shares with Bobby Vernon."

                "I really can't imagine it," I said, smiling despite myself. "Quill and Bobby... surely they fight?"

                "Not exactly," Finn said, amusement sparkling in his eyes. "Though there are rapier marks on a couple of walls which Quill desperately tries to hide each time we have a family dinner at his place."

                My laugh was a real one this time, and it wasn't long before Finn was leading me up the steps of a whitewashed town house, his hand on my lower back as he fumbled in his pocket for a key. When the door swung open I hesitated, and Finn turned back curiously when I didn't follow.