Gravity Rises (S3)

SP: Part Seven

Pacifica heard the distant footsteps and perked up. The anomalies were over, she was sure — and someone had come back to headquarters. Who? Could it be Gideon? Lincoln? Would they come and tell her that the terror was over, that she was safe?

The footsteps faded. Pacifica wondered if she should go after them. It wasn't too long, though, before she could hear more footsteps. And these ones were headed straight for her.

Frantically, she grabbed the mirror on her dresser and checked to see if she was presentable. Not even close: She was still in her nightgown; her hair was wild; her face was splotchy with crying. At least there was no makeup on her face to get ruined by her tears. Pacifica tried in vain to pat down her hair and wipe her face, waiting anxiously to see who was coming to her door.

A soft knock. "Pacifica?"

Her heart leapt: It was Lincoln's voice. Pacifica ran to the door and threw it open. "Lincoln! You're back!"

Instead of looking happy to see her, as she hoped, Lincoln's face held an expression of pained shock. "Lincoln?" she asked. "What's wrong?"

"I'm glad to see you safe," he said slowly. It sounded like he meant it — but there was definitely something else on his mind. "May I come in?"

Pacifica moved out of the way, and Lincoln stepped into her room. His movements were limp and disjointed, as if he were a child's toy being dragged on the floor behind its owner. He stumbled to Pacifica's bed and dropped onto the mattress.

"What is it?" Pacifica said. He was scaring her.

With an effort, he met her eyes. "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked.

She frowned, not sure what he meant.

"Stanford," he said. It was like he wanted to sound urgent, but his voice couldn't quite catch up to the pace of his emotions. "Stanford Pines. Why didn't you tell me?"

Pacifica's eyes widened.

Oh.

Oh, no.

She took a steadying breath. "Bill told me not to," she said simply. Why, she wondered, hadn't Bill appeared and told her that Lincoln had found out their biggest secret? She hadn't seen Bill for hours. He hadn't been there to comfort her at all during last night's gravitational anomalies.

A sudden spurt of air, like a laugh — or a sob — burst from Lincoln's throat. "Of course he did," he said. "It's all a big conspiracy, isn't it? Thirty years, and Bill successfully kept me from my brother for all this time."

Pacifica didn't know what to say. It wasn't fair, she thought. Why did this have to come now? She'd been looking forward to Lincoln's return; she never thought he'd find out about Stanford.

"You're better off without him," she finally said. "I think he might be the one behind Mabel's evil deeds."

The incredulous look that Lincoln gave her was so stark that she almost flinched. Then his gaze slipped silently away from hers. "You didn't see him," he whispered. "You didn't see his face when he found me."

No, she didn't. But she could imagine the triumph in his eyes when he finally found Lincoln. She could see his malicious joy when he knew he could steal him away from Pacifica.

With labored movements, Lincoln pushed himself off the bed. "Stay here," he instructed. "Or go to the kitchen. I don't care. But stay away from my room."

"Why?" Was he shutting her out because she didn't tell him about Ford?

Lincoln weighed his answer before giving it. "Stanford's there," he finally said. "I don't want you anywhere near him, understood?"