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George knew that something was very wrong when he found Lockwood in the library clutching a glass of what he guessed was scotch. They would have the occasional beer on a day off, but he had only seen Lockwood go for liquor when he was particularly upset.
“What happened?” he asked, cautiously sitting down in the adjacent armchair.
“See for yourself,” Lockwood spat, producing a large envelope.
Peering inside, George wasn’t sure what he had been expecting. But it certainly wasn’t official Fittes letterhead and the words “application for employment” written at the top. His heart sank, and he knew even before he spotted her name under “applicant” that it was Lucy’s.
“What…this is…” George shook his head, trying to pull himself together.
Given their field, it took a lot to shock George. He knew that Lockwood and Lucy had been going through a rough patch lately. They were still towing the line between coworkers, friends, and significantly more. But he had no idea that things had gotten tense enough between them to prompt Lucy to look elsewhere for work.
“Like you didn’t know,” Lockwood sighed and tipped the rest of the liquid down his throat.
If George had to guess, he had taken a bottle from his father’s stash. Expensive and smooth, which explained the lack of a reaction to it going down. He remembered the last time they had been to a party at Kipps’ place and how Lockwood had pulled a face as he took a shot of cheap booze.
“Hey, that’s not fair,” he responded, running a hand through his curls. “This affects me, too.”
“I’m sorry, I’m just - I don’t know what to think right now,” Lockwood said with a defeated shrug.
He blew out a harsh breath, reaching to pour himself another drink. George wanted to caution him but didn’t want to get his head bitten off, so he held his tongue.
“Everyone leaves,” Lockwood muttered to himself, just loud enough for George to hear.
He looked so sad and resigned, and George resisted the urge to tell him that he wasn’t going anywhere.
“Did Lucy say anything when she showed you this?” he asked after a moment, but realized the answer before he had finished speaking.
“She didn’t show it to me, exactly,” Lockwood said slowly. “I might have…come across it.”
George shook his head at the mess they were now in.
“Do I want to know how you happened to come across it ?” he asked, pinching the bridge of his nose.
“Probably not, no.”
“Right, well the real question now is how are you going to fix this?” George asked in a tone that didn’t leave room for argument.
Lucy leaving (again) wasn’t an option. They had all been through too much together for the agency to fall apart now. George felt a sense of panic start to creep in but he tamped it down, knowing he would need to keep a level head for Lockwood. He would be the sensible one, and they would fix this.
“I have to talk to her, I know I do. I just can’t believe-” Lockwood’s voice broke and he cleared his throat to try to cover it up. “I can’t lose her, George.”
We can’t lose her, George thought but kept his mouth shut. While Lucy leaving would be devastating, he didn’t know if Lockwood would get through it this time.
He pulled the papers out fully to examine them further. It looked like that application was completely filled out, which didn’t help the uneasy feeling in his gut. But she hadn’t submitted it yet, which was a good sign.
Something on the final page caught his eye, and he froze as he read it. He was about to alert Lockwood when they both heard footsteps and the sound of the library door creaking open.
Speed wasn’t exactly his superpower, so George wasn’t able to hide the stack of papers fast enough. Lucy entered the room, taking in both of them. Her eyes locked on the glass in Lockwood’s hand, frowning deeply.
“Did something happen?” she asked, nerves clear in her voice.
Lockwood’s face was flushed, and George didn’t think it was only from the alcohol. He was either angry or embarrassed, maybe a combination of both. Before either of them could say anything, Lucy stepped forward, peering in George’s lap.
“Why are you both acting weird? What’s that you have there, George?” She plucked them from him before he could stop her.
They both watched as color rose in Lucy’s cheeks now, and George knew she was livid.
“This was - how did you even find this?” Lucy looked back and forth between the two of them. “Were you going through my things?”
“The better question is when were you going to tell us?” Lockwood finally said, his voice a deadly calm.
He set down his glass and pushed himself to stand, moving until he was face to face with Lucy. Their stares locked and they were both breathing heavily.
“Lockwood, wait,” George tried, but he waved him off.
“Answer me, Lucy.”
“Don’t tell me what to do,” she fired back.
Lockwood took half a step back and ran his hand over his face. When he looked back at her, the ire in his expression was gone. He looked hurt, and defeated.
“You know what? I can’t stop you from leaving. But I wish you would tell me why ,” he whispered.
Lucy flinched as if he had shouted. Shaking her head, she carefully pulled out the last page of the application.
“Look at this, alright?” She shoved the paper in his face.
George watched as his eyes scanned over the text, landing at the date next to her signature.
“This - this is…” Lockwood stammered, meeting her eyes in confusion.
“Dated from before I joined the agency,” Lucy confirmed. “It’s my rejected application, Lockwood. I’m not going anywhere.”
Lockwood’s trembling hand shot out to catch one of hers, clutching it like a lifeline. His face was paler than usual and he was breathing quickly.
George and Lucy realized what was happening at the same time and guided him to sit on the couch. After exchanging a look with her, George confirmed that she had a handle on things and said he was going to start dinner.
“I’m here, I’m not going anywhere,” Lucy repeated like a mantra, Lockwood’s breathing becoming steadier as he listened.
Now that things had been cleared up, this was between Lockwood and Lucy. As George was leaving, Lucy caught his arm, pushing the papers into his hand.
“Can you put this in the pile for the shredder, where I was going to put it?” she asked, looking pointedly at Lockwood.
He was still pale but looked less shaky. Lucy was still holding his hand, her thumb rubbing in soothing circles. George nodded and made his way out of the library, Lucy’s soft murmurs trailing behind him.