February Night

Chapter 6

After some seconds, Spencer finally started to answer Lucy's questions. He told her that his father had left him and his mom when he was just a child and that his mother, who was suffering schizophrenia and Alzheimer, was currently living in a sanatorium in Vegas. He told her that with a slightly shaking voice and she realized how hard it must be for him to talk about this. And he wouldn't even have to tell her that. But he did. And Lucy didn't know if she should feel guilty or not, to make him talk about it. They didn't even know each other for a long time. Just for some hours. Never had she thought he'd open up to her like this.

"Oh god, Spencer. I'm so sorry", Lucy whispered and couldn't resist to put a hand on his forearm when he had finished his story. He smiled sadly.

"It's okay, I think...I had to bring her into the sanatorium when I was eighteen. She...she has her ups and downs. But I still have the hope that there will be a cure for Alzheimer someday. And that...that she can be cured", he quietly said.

"I hope so too", Lucy said and squeezed his arm. The smile he gave her warmed her heart.

"Thank you. Oh god, I haven't told this anyone whom I just met hours ago...I don't know why I did tell you but...I feel like it's okay?"

Lucy nodded. "Of course. And I'll keep that to myself. I can imagine that this isn't easy at all." She squeezed his arm.

"I just miss her a lot and I wish I could fly to Vegas more often to visit her." He sighed. "But what do I do? There's no way I can see her whenever I want. The job mostly gets in the way."

Lucy slightly chuckled at his words. "Yeah, that job...Luke sometimes complains as well although he's used to jobs like that. He actually hasn't done anything else than saving lives and risking his own."

"How is that for you?", Spencer asked and Lucy looked at him inquiringly.

"How is what for me?"

"How...how was it for you when Luke was with the army? And now that he's working with the FBI?", Spencer formulated his question a bit more detailed. Lucy sighed and stared into her glass. Then she took a sip of that deliciously sweet wine while she thought about Spencer's question for a moment. It wasn't easy for her to talk about the time when Luke had been with the army. She had been so afraid every single day and had prayed he'd return safely. Sometimes, she had even felt as if a part of her was missing, although that might sound ridiculous to others. Lucy's and Luke's mother had cried a lot during that time and their father had been quiet most of the time, lost in his own thoughts and prayers. He had been with the army too when Lucy and Luke were much younger and he knew how hard and dangerous it was being a part of that.

"It was...hard", Lucy eventually started. "Whenever Luke left for another mission with the army, we could never know if we'd see him again. He could have been killed every day and it was...nerve-wrecking. Not only did I miss him all the time, I was also afraid of not seeing my brother again. He had always been my protector, you know? And then suddenly he was away for a year, sometimes for longer, somewhere across the ocean, thousands of miles away where I just couldn't reach him unless he called or there was a possibility to video chat." She stopped and glanced over to Luke, who was now playing with Henry and Roxy. He looked happy and relaxed and Lucy knew, it wasn't a matter of course that her brother survived the army and hadn't changed as much as she had expected. Yes, he was more careful of some things. Yes, he was more suspicious of people. But overall, he hadn't changed much, which she was extremely thankful for. A lot of soldiers came back from war and their personality had completely changed. Some came back with wounds that would change their whole lives and some didn't even come back to their families and friends at all. She swallowed to hold back the tears that she could feel forming in her eyes. She was over it. Luke was back and close to her again.

She turned around to look at Spencer. A smile formed on her lips. "The FBI is a dangerous work place too, I'm aware of that. And I know Luke knows too. But he just wants to help people, he wants to save lives. And no one – not me, not our parents – could have changed his mind." Lucy shrugged. "It's better than having him in a country far away, surrounded by war." Lucy knew, the smile she gave Spencer wasn't the happiest one. But she also knew that he understood. The squeeze he gave her hand now told her so. She could live with her brother being with the FBI. And she was proud of him, of all he was doing.

"Hey, sis!" Luke came walking towards them and Lucy and Spencer looked up. "It's past midnight already, we should go."

Surprised, Lucy glanced on her watch and her eyes widened when she realized that her brother was right. Time had flown while she and Spencer had been talking! "Alright", she said and got up from the bench, stretching her limps. "It was nice talking to you, Spencer", Lucy said with a smile. She leaned in and pressed a quick kiss on Spencer's cheek. He turned red almost immediately, what made her smile even more. He was just incredibly cute.

"Y-yes, it was a pleasure", Spencer stammered and awkwardly smiled back.

During the car ride home, Lucy just stared out the window while her thoughts were running wild. That evening she had mostly spent with Spencer, had been wonderful. She had opened up more than she would have thought or she'd ever done when she had met someone she barely knew. But there was something about Spencer that made her feel safe. Something that made her trust him. And from what he had told her, he must have felt the same. She held back a sigh as she thought of his pretty face, of his brown hair and his wonderful, warm eyes. She shook her head to get rid of those thoughts. Spencer was nice, for sure. But she wouldn't fall in love with him, not now.

"You alright?", Luke asked and glanced at her for a moment.

"Yeah, sure." She gave him a smile to show him that she was okay. He didn't have to know about her thoughts and feelings. "Spencer...told me about his mother and I'm just thinking about that. We can be so thankful to have parents that are still there and healthy."

Luke nodded at her words while he concentrated on the road again. "That's true. He's got a hard time with his mom sometimes."

Lucy didn't say anything to that. Instead, she continued staring out the window and suddenly felt incredibly tired. All she wanted was to fall into her bed and get some proper sleep. "Luke?"

"Hm?"

"Thanks for taking me to that dinner. It was wonderful and I like your colleagues", Lucy said and a smile appeared on Luke's lips.

"That's good. And guess what? They like you too", he winked and Lucy laughed now, putting her head on the back of her seat.

"I'm glad they do. What would you do if they wouldn't like me or I wouldn't like them?", she chuckled and the indignant expression on Luke's face made her laugh even more.

"That would have never happened! You're lovely and I don't know one person who doesn't like you. So, that wasn't an option I thought of just one second", Luke said and his words warmed her heart. He had always been that way towards her. Encouraging her that she was beautiful and lovely and that people liked her.

Back at Luke's apartment, she pressed a kiss on his cheek. "Thanks again. And goodnight."

"Good night, Lu", Luke said smiling, before she went into the bathroom to quickly brush her teeth. She felt so tired now, she could have fallen asleep right on the toilet lid. But she managed to get everything done and then went into her room and closed the door behind her. Lucy put on a top and hot pants and then snuggled under the duvet. And although she had been afraid that she wouldn't be able to fall asleep because her thoughts were still only about Spencer, Lucy fell asleep almost immediately.