Chapter Text
Lauren woke with a feeling of oppressive dread. Taking a deep breath, she stared at her dimly-lit ceiling, trying to gather the willpower to face the day.
Most of the time, Lauren was able to go to work, perform her job admirably, return home, and not think about the ghosts that haunted her so constantly. They lurked in the corners of her mind, an ever-present feeling in the background, gentle reminders that she had lost something precious. But most of the time, she did not allow them to consume her.
Today, however, she knew right away would not be a “most of the time” kind of day.
Reluctantly she rose, stepping over to her window to see the weak light of the winter sun beginning to spread across the sky. She wrapped her arms around her torso, wondering how she would endure the day.
But enduring was something Lauren had practiced for most of her life, so she turned and put on her uniform, setting out for the precinct.
Lauren stepped into the IU’s main offices and sat down to what had been her desk for the last two years. She gave a low “good morning” to the rest of the team and stared down at her workspace blankly. She had been working on a murder case the day before, puzzling through document after document to try to piece together what had happened. Today, however, she pushed the case file aside roughly and focused on her secondary case, an armed robbery.
Before she knew it, she heard the scraping of chairs across the wooden floor as Grant and Mathis, two other IU members, rose to break for lunch. She sighed, relieved at having made it halfway through the day already.
She tidied the pile of papers in front of her and left the IU headquarters, striding toward the main door, determined to slip out before Kym and Will caught sight of her. She didn’t relish the idea of facing them right now.
Kym was especially talented at thwarting all of Lauren’s plans however, and jumped out from behind a corner to grab Lauren by the shoulders and proclaim that the three of them were going to lunch together. Lauren noticed Will lurking with a small smile behind Kym, and he gave a little wave.
“I am not going to be your third wheel again today,” Lauren said teasingly, trying to force the underlying despair away for their sakes.
Kym looped her arm in Will’s who rolled his eyes at her fondly. “Oh, yes you are! We aren’t going to let you brood all day.” She dragged Lauren down the hall by her elbow, forcing her out the door into the glaring sunlight.
They ate at a newer cafe near the precinct, Kym carrying most of the conversation in her enthusiastic way. Will was pleasant but more subdued, looking at Lauren thoughtfully.
Lauren hated that look. She felt as though it were more one of pity, though the rational side of her brain knew that William was her friend and was simply concerned about her.
Eventually Kym relinquished her monopoly on Lauren’s time, and they each returned to their respective corners of the precinct.
Muddling through the rest of the afternoon, Lauren breathed a long, slow breath when it was finally time to leave. Abandoning her papers on her desk, she strode out the door, ready to return home to her uncle’s house and hide away for the rest of the evening.
Before she could take more than a few steps out the door, however, Will met her, standing quietly with his hands in his pockets. “Can I walk you home?”
Kym followed close behind, placing the back of her hand on her forehead in mock distress. “Oh, Lauren, how could you steal my man away?”
Lauren gave her a wry look and watched Kym’s face grow into a more serious, sympathetic smile. She nodded slightly at Will and turned towards the opposite direction, letting them have their time uninhibited.
Will held his arm out to her and she took it, saying to him dryly, “How chivalrous, my dear friend.”
They walked in silence for a few blocks as the street lamps turned on and the bustle of city life passed around them. After several minutes, they came to a bridge, and Lauren felt a magnetic pull toward the center of it.
This was the bridge. Their bridge, as Lauren always thought of it now. It was the site on which their deal had been first struck and of a hundred meetings after.
“This isn’t on the way home, Will. I know what you’re doing,” she stated shortly.
Will came to rest his arms on the railing next to her. “Well, brooding with a friend is better than brooding alone.” He waited on her to be the first to speak.
After a moment, Lauren said quietly, “I know this is foolish. I’ve spent practically my whole life trapped in the past. The trouble was just transferred to someone else along the way.”
“Five years is a long time, Lauren,” Will offered. “I know that the day Phantom Scythe was finally laid to rest is a difficult one for you. Most of the city saw it as a celebration.”
“And it was, or it should have been. I just can’t understand why he had to do it like he did. How could he just leave me here?” Lauren covered her sadness with anger, staring at the lights reflected in the water.
“He had to be telling the truth, don’t you think? He did it to protect you.”
“Yes, and now no one knows. I can’t talk about any of it except to you and Kym. I can’t say a word because then him leaving was for nothing. I can’t talk about how hard we both worked to end it all. I can’t talk about him.”
“He couldn’t stay either way, Lauren. The APD and the remaining Scythe fragments both had it out for him, you know that.” Will spoke gently, and Lauren knew his words were true, but that didn’t help lift the heavy presence of his absence.