Lockwood and Co. One-Shots

"Real Companionship" - Lucy and The Skull

"Real Companionship" -
Lucy and The Skull

Lockwood and Co. Series

Summary: Not all dead things are bad company, some can be really good for lonely times.

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"You know, my old master, Dr Bickerstaff, used to call me 'the most pleasant of companionships'"

"And?" The skull sat on my desk, looking at me with its nose propped against the silver jar. Portland Row was quiet that night, the neighbors locked on their rooms, peacefully sleeping and waiting for the dangers of the night to vanish with dawn. As always, the 35 was not the same.

"Well, you seem desperate for someone to talk with" I snorted just like an amused horse.

"And that would be you, right?"

"Where are those Lockwood and Cubbins?" I looked down at my legs, which dangled from the couch's end; my legs were not long enough to reach the ground.

"They're out"

"Where?"

"In a job...with Holly"

"And they went without you! How could they? I thought they were your friends!" The skull frowned and, looking at it, I could almost think it was sad.

"They ARE my friends, they just...didn't need me today" I looked away again, passing my hand on my sore thighs; that's how you end up after running around a graveyard all night long. Never healthy.

"Where did that 'Holly' came from anyway?" The skull's frown morphed into a smaller, sad grin. Usually I didn't felt like talking to it, but tonight...maybe tonight I'd let it talk to me and I'll talk back.

"Lockwood thought it would be better if we had someone else with us to help with the cases"

"And hiring another girl was his decision, are you not enough female? Maybe he is not pleased with you?" Normally I would reply that with an angry snarl and say that was not true, but suddenly I wasn't so sure "I would imagine you would be pleased to have another girl in the team"

"I don't like other girls, they are annoying"

"Agreed, but...you are a girl"

"But I don't annoy myself!"

"What have you got there?" I had taken out a big leather wrap from my rucksack and left it on my lap. Usually I took out everything from it when I got home, but something held me back today.

"Its a book" I whispered "I found it on the library"

"Something about the Problem, I reckon?"

"A novel, actually" the book was heavy and thick, it also had small letters, so it was obviously a big story. I had never heard of this story before, but I was told (by the librarian, and some other weird guy that had stood nearby) that it was a great and passionate tragedy with love, pain and, more than anything, revenge. I wasn't going to finish it, probably, but I guessed it would be nice to start something different.

"What is it called?"

"The Count of Montecristo"

"Maybe we can read it together?" The skull offered me a smile that I could actually swear was real, but I had trouble to believe it. Anything about the skull was troublesome to believe, from its existence to his words and to the very last of his dust.

"Why would we?" I asked suspiciously.

"Because we are both in the need of some real companionship, and I guess we can both provide that for each other"

I remained silent, crossed the room towards my desk and took the jar, going back to the sofa.

"I guess we can" I made myself comfortable and firmly placed the jar between my legs. Opening the book, I felt something stir inside the jar, like a shudder, barely reaching me yet clear as day, as if the skull had shivered. Shivered from what? Skulls don't shiver! However, there will be more time to wonder about shuddering skulls in silver jars later.

"Chapter 1, Marseilles, The Arrival; On the 24th of February, 1810, the look-out at Notre Dame de la Garde signaled the three..."

——————Lockwood——————

I shouldn't have told Lucy to stay!

When Mrs Lynn described the Visitor on the phone I thought we wouldn't be needing her today, but we could have done with some insight of everything the stupid Changer had obviously been saying!

"Thank God we're back!" After letting his rucksack fall on the floor, George made a bee-line for the kitchen, Holly and I after him. He immediately gave himself to the task of making something to eat for all of us.

"Hey Luce!...oh, right, she didn't came with us" George and I looked to where Lucy normally sat, but her place was empty "you think she's asleep?"

"I can go check on her if you want?" Holly offered.

"No need, she said she'd be downstairs, maybe she's still down there" I made my way to the door and started down the stairs, and immediately caught the sound of a faint voice from below.

"...leaving the house to return to it no more.' Fernand's eye darted lightning. 'And should any misfortune occur to you, dear Edmond,' she continued with the same calmness which proved to Fernand that the young girl had read the very innermost depths of his sinister thought, 'if any misfortune should occur to you, I would ascend the highest point of the Cape de Morgion and cast myself headlong from it.' Fernand became deadly pale."

"Lucy?" She'd been reading out loud.

"Yes, it seems she would throw and kill herself before marrying Fernand"

A green glow.

"I guess that's what love does" I could hear her talking, but I couldn't get any voice beside hers, which meant-

"Lucy, what are you doing?" She finally looked up to regard me almost annoyed.

"We're reading" She shook the book a little.

"'We'?"

"The skull and I" Lifting the jar from her lap, she looked at me like it was the most obvious thing. She hadn't been like this when we left. So...edgy.

"George is making scrambled eggs for us, want to come?"

"Thanks, but I'm alright" Sinking back on the sofa, Lucy reopened the book, adjusting the skull's jar between her legs.

"Shall we keep reading?"

The plasm on the jar lighted brightly green from a moment and I could feel the psychic disturbance that meant the skull had replied her.

"Very well then;

'But you are deceived, Edmond,' she continued. 'You have no enemy here-there is no one else but Fernand, my brother, who will grasp your hand as a devoted friend.'..."

When I had already placed a foot on the stair's steps, I looked back to see Lucy reading and the skull look back at me, a smug look and wide grin on his face.

I felt like I lost something important.