Betrayal

Betrayal Part 8

"That's it,'' she growled. She dragged her chair forwards until she was sitting almost knee to knee with Lockwood.

"Lucy, careful,'' Kipps warned her.

She reached over and ripped the tape off his mouth, leaving tiny beads of blood on his lips. He met her stare, hardly blinking.

"Still not ready to give up?'' He said quietly. "How long will it take for you to realise he just doesn't care enough?''

She ignored him, steeling herself. There was one memory that she had kept to herself, that she desperately didn't want to have to share. It had been such a private moment between the two of them that even now, telling it to the others felt like a betrayal.

Still, it was her last shot.

"Do you remember, a few months ago, you asked me if I wanted to go for a walk with you,'' she began softly.

Lockwood said nothing, just continued to stare with uncharacteristically flinty eyes. The room was so quiet she could hear herself breathe.

"At first I didn't know where you were taking me,'' she continued. "But then I realised we were heading to a cemetery. We climbed the wall, and you told me how to use the jagged stones to get back down. We walked until we found a pair of headstones. One belonged to your parents, and the other to Jessica.''

Lockwood had gone so still, it was like he was carved out of stone. Every muscle in his body was taut.

"I was so proud, that I was the one you had chosen to take there,'' she almost smiled at the memory. "But I was nervous, too. I didn't want to say the wrong thing and break the spell. You put up these walls, afraid to let anyone in. I was terrified of doing something to make you regret giving me a glimpse. And then I saw the patch of grass beside Jessica's headstone, and I knew what it was and it nearly broke me. Because there was a space waiting for you, too. And I knew that you risked your life so easily, and the thought of you in that cemetery was too much.''

Lucy's cheeks were wet with tears, but she carried on. She had too.

"After that, every near miss we had, every time you nearly died, I would flash back to that patch of grass. I felt like I was racing against time, trying to prevent some inevitability that you refused to protect yourself against. I spent every minute of every day terrified that I was going to lose you. And then in that moment in Marissa Fittes' office, when I was about to die, you appeared in the doorway. And part of me hated you for it, because you were supposed to be safe, with the others. But I also loved you for it too, because I would have done exactly the same if the tables were turned.''

Lucy's voice broke for a second, and it was then that it happened. Lockwood's whole body spasmed and he cried out, as if in pain. Lucy reached for him just as his expression cleared.

Suddenly she knew he was back, her Lockwood.

"Luce...'' he panted, straining with the effort. "Please....no time....fighting..me.''

She heard the others exclaim, and the scraping of their chairs as they leaped up, but she blocked them out.

"What is it, what can I do?'' She asked frantically. Lockwood let out a loud groan as his body spasmed again. He grimaced, and when he opened his mouth to speak she saw blood from where he had bitten his tongue.

"Cuff....links,'' he ground out before sagging back in the chair. His eyes were closed as if he were asleep. For a horrible moment Lucy thought the effort had killed him, but then she saw his chest rise and fall.

"Cufflinks," she murmured to herself, and then a switch went off in her mind.

"Oh my God! The ball!'' She exclaimed, turning to face the others. They were staring at her like she'd lost her mind.

"The night of the DEPRAC ball, Lockwood was wearing these silver cufflinks I'd never seen before,'' she said urgently, the words tripping over each other. "What if they're the real source?''

Kipps and Holly were already heading for the stairs.

"We'll find them,'' Kipps called over his shoulder. "George, Flo, stay with Lucy. Lister could panic if he realises Lockwood told us something.''

They could hear banging and crashes upstairs as Kipps and Holly began tearing Lockwood's room apart.

A few moments later, Lockwood began to stir.

"What...what's going on? What happened?''

Lucy looked at him carefully, and her heart sank. Lister was back, she was sure of it. Desperate not to give the game away, she glared at him.

"You fainted,'' she said with a sneer. "You piked out. Lockwood would have been able to handle it.''

He stared back with an expression of intense dislike that she hoped never to see on his face again.

"A momentary lapse,'' he ground out. "Not to be repeated.''

Before she could reply, she saw his eyes scan the room.

"Where are the others?'' He said suspiciously.

"They needed a break, they're exhausted,'' Lucy lied quickly. Suddenly a loud crash sounded from above. Lockwood's face turned dark.

"He did it, didn't he-" he snarled, before his body began to spasm again.

"Luce....'' He choked, her Lockwood again. "He knows...please....have to leave me....he'll kill you.''

Lucy was already shaking her head before he finished speaking, tears streaming down her face.

"George and Flo are going to leave. Right now,'' she barked as the pair began to protest. "Please, you need to help Kipps and Holly. I'm not going anywhere.''

Knowing better than to argue, they ran up the stairs. Lucy stroked Lockwood's cheeks, which were hot to the touch. His whole body was shuddering, and sweat ran down his face as he fought to stay with her.

"Lucy please go...'' he moaned.

She pressed her forehead to his. She had made her decision. Made it years ago, really.

"I love you, Anthony Lockwood,'' she whispered. "And I'm not leaving you ever again.''

And with that, she pressed her lips to his.

Time stood still for one infinite second, and then a huge shockwave of energy blew her back against the basement wall.

Everything went black.