Gravity (Timothy Lawrence x OC)

5: Learn to swim

I know these chapters tend to be a little short, but I just want to split it into each theme I'm focusing on. Sorry for the inconvenience! 

The Echo buzzed again, "Don't you deserve to be free?"

Lisa's hands began to shake. If this was a mind game from Jack, how would she need to respond to pass the test? 

Jack was known to punish not only the employee but even abuse their existing family on the station. While Lisa wasn't close with her Hyperion elitist parents, she still wouldn't want them to be harmed. They made it very clear she had to be the best. Lisa had to pass the test. 

As her body trembled, Handsome Jack left his office and was in front of her. She almost cried at his sight.

"I'm going out for the rest of the day, cancel my meeting... God you look like you've seen a ghost, you okay sugar plum?"

"Y-yes s-sir," she mumbled in fear.

"O-okay then," Jack stormed off, not giving a seconds thought about how scared she looked. He knew he had that effect on people, though he was more used to them dropping anything to please him, rather than be frozen.  

The echo buzzed, "Lisa, please."

They knew her name. Fuck.

"Who are you?" She asked nervously. It could have been anyone. But she tried calming herself down by saying it was Jack messing with her.

"We need your help, yours life depends on it. Everyone's life does."

She swallowed hard as her body trembled. What was Jack going to do to her?

--

Lisa kept playing back that night in her head. She felt foolish for not telling Timothy the truth, but how could she? If the people closet to her threw her away, how could someone new not do that also?

"I'll tell you the story one day Tim, just... not yet," she muttered as silence surrounded them.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," he sighed.
"No, it's okay, you couldn't have known."

It had been weeks since they sat on that rooftop, and even though Timothy didn't seem to mind not knowing. It bothered Lisa. She knew some things about his past, but only through Moxxi and rumours. 

She felt it was unfair that she knew so much about him, and that he knew so little about her. But how could she tell him everything? If she told him everything, it'd seem like she was giving him a biography of her life. Which in Lisa's opinion, seemed like a bad idea.

Her friendship with Timothy was developing well, but in very small moments he spoke like Jack. Calling her cupcake, or sugar plum. This made her freeze every-time, it would hypnotize her with fear. It would always take a couple of seconds for her to realize that it wasn't Jack, but Timothy. She wanted to tell him, but it was obvious that Timothy hated Jack and everything about him. How could Lisa even consider telling Tim that he reminds her of that monster, sometimes.

The service bot mystery only became more mysterious, with more bots getting damaged. While Timothy was still working on a new AI, Lisa couldn't sit and just fix those robots. She had to do something about it. It was time to pester Moxxi about it, again.

--

"Moxxi, we need to talk," Lisa said as she sat at the bar where Moxxi worked. 
"What is it sugar?" Moxxi purred.
"The service bots, this isn't right," Lisa complained.
"Oh darlin' is it always work and no play with you?" 

Moxxi was drying a glass as Lisa complained.

"Moxxi-i-i-i-i," Lisa groaned.
"Oh I know sugar. I set higher security to find out what's going on, don't you worry your pretty little nose," Moxxi purred.  
"So... Where do the assaults mostly occur?" Lisa persisted.
"Darlin' when I find out more, you'll be the first to know. But for now, enjoy yourself."
"One more question Moxx, why do you sit in a bar all day... You know when you own everything?"
"Well I didn't have you one for role-playing a detective darlin'," Moxxi smirked, "but I'll remember for the future."
"Ha ha,very funny," Lisa groaned.

"I like getting my hands dirty. Speaking of, I see Timothy there looks rather lonely. Why don't you join him?" Moxxi cooed as she saw Timothy enter the bar. 

"I sense positive emotions here," Lisa winked at Moxxi, "you seem overly fond of him."
"I could say the same thing about you, who's always around him sugar," Moxxi smirked back.
"I'll get to the bottom of this I promise you," Lisa snickered as she walked away, and sat with Timothy.

"Of course you will Sugar," Moxxi muttered to herself, "of course you will."