Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

-Lucy Carlyle-

Paul Bell was waiting outside her classroom.

Six months ago, that would have been fine, normal even. But that was before they had argued over the art scholarship. Before she had broken up with him. Before she had left Cheviot Hills alone in the dead of night, with no intention of ever returning.

Lucy carefully peeked through the window on the door. Yup, he was still there.

She glanced at the TA sorting papers on the professor's desk. “Did you need something, Lucy?”

Lucy hesitated. Jessica Lockwood had been helpful so far; she was down to earth (despite looking like a veritable model) and incredibly easy to talk to. Lucy couldn't explain it, but she trusted the older girl. Trusted that she had the best interests of her students at heart. But what could she do about this? Lucy stepped away from the door, worried she might be overheard in the hall.

“I think-” she paused, nervously checking the door. “My ex-boyfriend is in the hall. He's outside the door right now. I don't- Miss Lockwood, I'm not sure what to do.”

“First, please call me Jess. Second? Let's sit down for a moment.” She took Lucy’s hands and led her to one of the desks. “Alright, just breathe, Lucy. We'll figure this out for you.” Lucy took a shaky breath and let it out slowly. “OK, how long ago did you break up?”

“A little over a month ago. Paul didn't want me to leave for uni; said it was a waste of time. I'd applied for the scholarship before we started dating and never thought it would matter.” Lucy shook her head, blinking back tears. “He knew how badly I wanted to leave; I was always talking about escaping to London. But when I told him about my plans, about when I was leaving, he argued with me. He kept telling me I couldn't leave.”

“But you left anyway,” Jess whispered.

“Yeah.” Lucy took a deep breath and let it out slowly. When she continued, her voice was steadier. “My home life wasn't great. I'm the youngest of seven; Da died when I was little and- well, me mam didn't have much patience or kindness left in her after. All my sisters had left by the time I was in high school and I couldn't bear staying in that house a second longer than I had to.”

Jess frowned. “I can't imagine how hard that must have been for you. You're very strong and brave for having walked away.” Lucy’s lower lip trembled as more tears tumbled down her face. “Can I give you a hug, Lucy?”

With a nod, Lucy let Jess put her arms around her. The older girl was tall and slender, her nose nearly level with the top of Lucy's head. Long dark hair was tied neatly at the nape of her neck,and she smelled of expensive perfume.

After a few moments, Jess pulled away. “Do you have another class after this?”

Lucy shook her head. “No, I was heading back to the dorm. But if he's out there…” Jess grabbed her hands when Lucy began to pick at her nails.

“It'll be alright.” She made eye contact with Lucy before smiling at her. “I'll go with you, but we'll wait here for my boyfriend; he's picking me up very soon.” Jess pulled out her phone. “I'm texting him what's going on. He'll be more than willing to help. We can both walk you safely to your dorm.”

“Thank you.” Lucy took a few deep breaths and tried not to pace. “I'm so sorry I pulled you into this. I never expected he would follow me here; it wasn't a serious relationship. At least, I never thought it was.” Lucy shook her head. “This is ridiculous. I don't understand why he would do this!” Jess grabbed her hand again.

“Hey, it’s ok. I want to help you. I know this is confusing and scary, but we'll get you through it.” The older girl's phone chirped, and she checked it quickly. “Quill should be here any minute. What's your ex's name?”

“Paul.” Her voice was nearly a whisper.

A few minutes later, the door behind them opened with a bang, and Lucy jumped. Jess smiled as a blond man who looked her age sauntered into the room. She embraced him as soon as he reached her, kissing him lightly. They were around the same height, though Jess may have been slightly taller.

“Jessa-Luv, you doing OK?” The thick Yorkshire accent surprised Lucy, especially considering Jess’ posh RP.

“I'm fine, Quill. This is Lucy, and we're going to help her get to the dorms safely. Did you drive here today?” Quill nodded and turned to Lucy.

“I'm guessing the big guy lurking in the hall is the ex?”

“Tall, brown hair, built a bit thick? Looks a bit thick in the head, too?” Quill huffed a laugh and grinned. “Yeah, that's Paul.”

“Got it. I'll walk the two of you out.”

They each grabbed one of her arms, Quill on the side Paul would most likely be on, and walked her out the door. They kept close to her, smiling and chatting like they hadn't a care in the world. Lucy tried to relax, but couldn't keep her hands from trembling. Briefly, she felt Jess squeeze her arm; when she turned to look at the older girl, she was met with an encouraging smile.

The walk to the car was quick, and Lucy only caught a glimpse of Paul when Quill pulled away from the curb. They all breathed a sigh of relief when he disappeared from view.

“Well, now that's over, we can have a proper introduction. I'm Quill Kipps; Jessa and I have been together since we were in high school. And now I teach history classes at the local high school.” He grinned at her in the rearview mirror.

“Lucy Carlyle. Thank you for helping me.”

Jess turned in her seat. “Any time. I mean it, Lucy. Here, open your phone and give it to me.” Lucy did as asked, and Jess entered her number into the contacts list before handing it back. “I want you to call me if you need help. Any time, day or night, ok? Which hall are you in?”

“Connaught. Fourth floor.”

“Ah! I know one of the RA's there! Holly went to high school with my younger brother. She was a year ahead of him, but they were on the Debate team together.”

“Holly Monroe? She's the RA in my hall.”

“Marvelous. She’s wonderful, isn't she? I can text her what's going on if you're OK with that? She can alert security and have them watch for Paul, keep him out of the building.” Lucy nodded. No one had ever really taken care of her like this. Maybe Norrie when things were bad at home, but not like this.

Before Jess could message Holly, Lucy's phone rang. “Hullo?”

“Lucy? It's Holly, there's been an incident at the dorm. I'm so sorry, your room has some fire and smoke damage. It looks like someone started a fire there.”

“A fire? What? No! How-” Lucy cut herself off with a gasp. “Oh, god! My work! My pictures! Holly, how bad? What happened?” Jess grabbed Lucy's phone and switched it to speakerphone.

“Hol, it's Jess Lockwood. I'm a TA for one of Lucy's classes. She had a scare after class so, Quill and I are driving her back. Can you tell us what happened?”

“I'm not sure; they haven't let anyone back in the building yet. But it was caught quickly. One of your neighbors reported to me that they saw an unfamiliar man walk out of your room. The doorjamb was splintered, so we called the police, and they discovered the fire.”

“Someone was in my room?” The day was just getting worse. Lucy could feel her heart racing and gripped the passenger seat with trembling fingers.

“It looks like it, yes. The police and the fire department will want to talk to you.” Lucy nodded, knowing Holly couldn't see her. But if the police wanted to talk to her, she would tell them about Paul.

“Good. Fine. I needed to talk to the police anyway. Jess and her boyfriend walked me out of my last class because my ex was outside the classroom today.”

“Oh, Lucy!” The sympathy in Holly's voice nearly brought Lucy to tears.

“He was waiting in the hall for me after class. I hope I'm wrong, but he may have been the one to start the fire.”

“I'll let the police know and wait for you by the front door, OK? Just get here safely.”

The next ten minutes seemed to take forever. The car was quiet, no one daring to break the silence that had come when Holly hung up the phone. Quill finally pulled up at the front doors. So many people were milling around that Lucy wasn't sure how she would find Holly in the crowd.

As soon as the car stopped, Jess pulled her out of the back seat and held her hand as they made their way to the front door. In moments, Holly was leading the detective in charge over.

“Detective Barnes, this is Lucy Carlyle, the girl whose room was broken into. Lucy, you said you saw your ex-boyfriend outside your last class?”

“Yes. Paul went to high school with me up north. I'm from a tiny village in the Cheviot Hills. After we argued about my leaving for uni, I broke up with him. This isn't like him; we argued but- I never thought he would follow me.” The detective opened a notebook and wrote something down.

“Miss Carlyle, did this boy ever threaten you or your family? Did he ever hurt you?”

Lucy nodded. “Just the once. He gripped my arm too hard when we argued; it left some bruises on my wrist. He apologized right away, said he hadn't meant to hurt me. Again, it wasn't like him. I don't understand what's gotten into him.”

The rest of the interview passed quickly for Lucy; she barely remembered anything she said. Just before leaving, Detective Barnes let her know the police would issue a warrant for Paul's arrest.

She nearly sobbed in relief when she was allowed into her room. Once there, she was glad to discover that very little had burned. The fire had been contained in a metal waste basket filled with oil-soaked rags and a few of her shirts. Unfortunately, the smoke damage was bad enough that she couldn't stay there. A few of her drawings and paintings were stained with smoke and soot, and her clothes and bedding reeked of it. Everything would need to be cleaned, including the plaster walls and ceiling.

The university housing authority gave her a timeline, saying she should be able to return to the dorm in less than two weeks. Until then, they could provide a room for her at a local hostel. It was a bit further from her classes than she liked, but she didn't have to pay for it.

Lucy was packing one of the boxes she'd been given for her things when a knock on the door startled her. She looked up to see Jess standing in the doorway.

“Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. Holly told me you're unable to stay here for a bit?”

Lucy nodded. “They need to clean the walls, the ceiling, and the furniture. Not to mention replacing the doorway and door.” She closed the first box and started a second. “It should take about two weeks, they said. Until then, I'm being put up at a hostel.”

Jess stepped into the room and closed the door. “I live with my younger brother and his best friend in a terrace house in Marylebone. Our parents own the house, and Anthony and I have lived there most of our lives. They’re working in Edinburgh now, teaching folklore and anthropology at the university there. We have a spare room in the attic. It's not much, but it has its own washroom, and it’s private. We also have a laundry you can use to wash anything clothes or bedding affected by the smoke.” She paused and stepped further into the room. “Lucy, would you like to stay with us while they sort out your room?”

Lucy stopped packing and looked at Jess, searching her face for any sign she didn't mean it. “Would that be ok? I don't want to put you out or be in the way.”

“Not at all,” Jess reassured her. “It would be a safe place, close to classes. And I wouldn't be worried about you!” She put a hand on Lucy's shoulder when the younger girl hesitated. “I want you to stay with us.”

“Are you sure it would be okay with your housemates?” Lucy hated how small her voice sounded, but was concerned Jess’ housemates would disagree.

“I'm sure, Lucy.” Jess started helping Lucy pack up the last of her things. “I've texted them a few times, but Anthony is taking a test today, so I'm not expecting an immediate answer. George rarely answers texts, even emergency ones, but he did respond ‘K’. It shouldn't be an issue. Both of them are genuinely sweet boys and I'm certain the three of you will get along wonderfully.”

Lucy thought for a moment. Jess had been a lifesaver today and Lucy was genuinely grateful for the help. She wasn't used to kindness like this; it wasn't something she'd seen or experienced growing up in her little backwater village. It certainly wasn't how her family lived their lives. For a moment, she considered telling Jess everything would be fine, she'd just stay where the school sent her.

But when she opened her mouth, instead of explaining why she would be fine, Lucy found herself saying something else entirely.

“Thank you! I'd love to.”

Chapter Text

-Anthony Lockwood-

His phone was dead. Lockwood groaned as his screen went dark for the third time that day. He'd left it in his Landrover during class, knowing he had several tests today he didn't want distracted from. Unfortunately, the damn thing hadn't been holding a charge well, dying at inopportune moments for the last week. He'd probably need to get a new phone; another chore to add to his nearly endless list. Plugging the phone in, he was able to see his sister had left no fewer than eight messages for him. But just as quickly, the screen went black again and it was unusable.

“Eight messages, Jess?” he muttered. “What the hell?” The cord wasn't one of his better ones and it charged slowly; not great even when the device wasn't acting up. Normally it would be at least usable by the time he was halfway home, but with the battery being unreliable, it meant he wouldn't be able to call Jess back or listen to any of her messages until he was already home. He hoped it wasn't anything important.

He was about to connect his music to the radio when he realized the dead phone meant he couldn't. Just his luck. He groaned and rested his head on the steering wheel for a moment. “Guess I'll just talk to myself.”

Traffic crawled through the city at a snail's pace. Desperate to occupy his mind, he turned on the radio. After a bit he was able to find a station with some decent music and was able to zone-out for at least part of the drive across London. He only half listened to the commercials and news reports, but his ears picked up on a story about a fire in one of the dorms at Jess’ college. Most of the current traffic could be traced to one of the nearby streets being shut down to deal with what sounded like a small blaze in one of the student rooms. He idly wondered if it was related to the messages she had left.

After an hour of driving, irritated, tired, and ready to drop, Lockwood pulled onto Portland Row. He nearly shouted when he realized his usual spot was occupied; a familiar bright yellow Mini was parked just a few feet from the front door.

“Fucking Kipps,” he grumbled. “Useless sodding git. Always in the bloody way. No idea what my sister sees in you.” He was still muttering to himself fifteen minutes later when he finally found a parking spot big enough for his Landrover three blocks away.

By the time he opened the front door, Anthony was exhausted. All he wanted was to shower and then sleep for the next thirty-six hours. He toed off his trainers, dropped his bag on the bench, and tossed his jacket in the general direction of the coat rack. It dropped to the floor with a soft fwump. He closed his eyes and sighed. After the day he'd had, he decided just to leave the damn jacket on the floor. It's not like today can get any worse, he thought.

Ignoring the light in the kitchen and the voices that told him Jess and her boyfriend were there, he clattered up the stairs to the bathroom on the first landing. He knew he should at least ask why she had been calling, but he was knackered and didn't think he could stomach seeing Quill sitting at the kitchen table, mooning over Jess.

There was a shower in his ensuite. He probably should use it, but he'd been avoiding it as there was a leak somewhere in the line causing a water spot on the sitting room ceiling. He was far too busy to deal with the hassle of getting a plumber out; they would need to rip out the plaster to find and fix the leak, which would lead to having to refinish all the bathroom walls as they likely hadn't been updated since the 1950's and weren't up to code. Nothing in the house was “up to code”, really. It might be his main residence, but it wasn't where his parents lived most of the time.

They wouldn't have an issue with fixing the problem, of course, but it would mean having strangers in his space and constant check-ins from Donald and Celia. In the meantime, he could use the main bath. George was the only other person who used it; Jess spent most of her time at Kipps’ flat.

Completely preoccupied with thoughts of a long, hot shower and a nap, he opened the door while pulling his shirt over his head. When the shirt was off, and he was inside the bathroom, he realized there was a slight issue. Instead of the empty room he had expected to see, he found himself staring at a very naked (and extremely beautiful) girl whom he did not know.

She was frozen stepping out of the shower-tub combo, hazel eyes wide as dinner plates, her auburn hair dripping puddles on the floor as she reached for a towel.

For a moment, Lockwood couldn't tear his eyes away from her. She had to be the most stunning thing he'd ever seen, and his breath caught in his throat. Then his brain engaged, and he realized he was staring at a naked stranger with far too much interest and quickly slammed his eyes shut. She shrieked. He yelped and quickly turned around, closing the door behind himself.

“I am so sorry!” He shouted through the door. “So, so sorry! I didn't realize anyone would be in the shower!” He could feel his heart thundering in his chest as he tried to calm the fuck down.

“Anthony John Lockwood!” The shout startled him, and he looked down the stairs to see Jess on the bottom step. “I've been calling you all afternoon! I left eight messages! Eight! If you've upset Lucy because you ignored me all afternoon-” Pulling his shirt back on, he climbed down the stairs to stand next to her. She studied his face for a moment and frowned. “You're blushing. Your ears are turning pink!”

Covering his face to hide the blush, he sighed and mumbled, “She was naked.”

Jess cursed but laughed. “Shit. Oh! Poor Lucy! And after the day she's had! That had to be so upsetting.”

“I will never ignore your messages again,” he promised. “My phone did die, though. It hasn't held a charge for more than a few hours all week. Quill stole my parking spot, and the closest one I could find was three blocks away. I'm sweaty, tired, and I just wanted to get a hot shower and sleep. Instead, I terrified your guest by walking in on her naked.”

“And now you need a cold shower,” Jess teased. Anthony glared at her, still blushing. “Sorry. Terrible joke. Very poor taste, I apologize. Honestly, though, that was not how I'd hoped to introduce the two of you.”

“You don't say,” Anthony deadpanned. “Who is she?”

“She's a student of mine whom I'm trying to help. Her name is Lucy Carlyle and she needs a safe place to stay for the next two weeks. She's quite pretty, isn't she?”

“Why?” Anthony's brain conjured up dozens of reasons a pretty girl would need a “safe” place to stay. All of them were worrisome.

“Why? She's a sweet, bright girl, not to mention an incredibly talented artist,” Jess exclaimed emphatically. “She deserves far better than she's been handed! Today has been horribly difficult for her!” Jessica had clearly been stewing about this and Anthony recognized the beginnings of a frustrated rant.

He quickly held up a hand and shook his head. “Not what I meant, Jess. Why does she need somewhere to stay? And why are you specifying it needs to be safe? What happened?”

Jess’ mouth scrunched up into the reluctantly contrite expression he remembered her using on their parents when they were kids. It was just as irritating then and Anthony prepared himself for a long dramatic story.

“You think like a barrister,” she pouted.

“What a surprise. It's almost like I'm in law school,” he sighed. “Now spill.”

“Her ex may have set her dorm room on fire.”

It was Anthony's turn to curse. “Fuck. That's terrible.”

“Quite.” She grabbed Anthony's arm and pulled him towards the kitchen. “Come on. I'm making cheese toasties for everyone. I'll explain the situation to Lucy and you can stammer apologies at her again when she comes down for tea.”

“If she comes down for tea. I wouldn't blame her if she never wanted to see my face again.” He dropped into one of the chairs across the table from Kipps. The older man raised an eyebrow as Anthony covered his face and groaned.

“So, what did you do to cause your houseguest to shriek like she was being murdered? Accidentally flash her your bits? Walk in as she was stepping out of the shower? Open your mouth and reveal your riveting personality?” The questions earned Kipps a middle finger and a mumbled response. “I didn't quite hear you there, Tony. Come again?”

“The second,” he growled, “you nosey bloody wanker!”

“Anthony! Stop calling my boyfriend a ‘bloody wanker’. We've discussed this!” Jess gently tapped him on the head with a wooden spatula. “Honestly, you need to be more creative with your insults! Don't just use your ‘go-to’ every time. How boring! If anything, he's being more of a ‘nosey git’ or a ‘gossipy curtain twitcher.” Kipps rolled his eyes as Jess noisily kissed his cheek. “A nebby busybody?”

“So kind of you to defend me, Luv,” he replied, voice dry and monotone. “So respectful and demure.”

Jess cackled as she finished assembling the cheese toasties. “Quill, my darling, my heart, love of my life. You would be bored to tears by ‘demure’. Here, eat!” She placed two plates on the table in front of them and two more on a tray loaded with tea and biscuits. “Now, I'm going to take this up to our guest and see how much damage was done.” Anthony winced. “I'll tell her how sorry you are and explain you never got the messages. Maybe you can apologize again later?” As he nodded, Jess carried the tray out the door and up the stairs.

Gut churning with guilt and anxiety, Anthony didn't eat much of the sandwiches Jess had made. “So, Jess said there was a fire? What do you know about it? How bad was her day before I accidentally invaded her privacy and stared at her naked?”

“Stared at? Tony-”

“It was likely only two or three seconds, but in my defense, I was exhausted and shocked and she's beautiful.” Kipps smirked as Anthony blew his forelock out of his face and prodded the sandwich again. “I obviously feel terrible about it, especially after hearing about the fire.”

“Had a rough day as well, did you? You haven't snapped at me for calling you ‘Tony’ yet.” Anthony flipped him off again while taking a bite of his sandwich.

“It was just- it was a long day.” Kipps nodded. Anthony sighed and took a few more bites. “So what happened?”

“Well, I was on my way to pick Jess up when she texted me about a student that was panicking because her ex-boyfriend was in the hall. We had planned on a date tonight, but this seemed a bit more important. I can understand why Lucy would be upset; he was still in the hall when I got there and- well, he's not a small guy. A few inches shorter than you, but more bulky. She was definitely scared, though she did say he's never been violent.”

A scowl twisted across his face as he thought back to just how small she had looked to him. “She's so tiny. I'm glad Jess got you involved.”

Kipps nodded. “Me too. Anyways, Jess and I walked her to my car then I drove over to her dorm. While I was driving, Holly called to tell her about the fire.”

“Monroe?”

“Yeah. She’s Lucy’s RA.” Kipps finished his sandwich. “When we got there, Holly brought a detective over and Lucy gave a statement. A bit later the college housing department talked to her about a timeline for her room. They said about two weeks, but it'd probably be longer than that. Everything is smoke damaged. They weren't even going to give her a proper place to stay, just a room at a hostel!”

Anthony grabbed their plates and put them in the sink. “What the hell? A fucking hostel? For a teenage girl who's had her dorm room set on fire? Even if they caught whoever did it, that's not even close to safe! There's no locks, no privacy.”

“Which was why Jess offered her the attic until her room is habitable again.”

“What a mess! I need to apologize again. I can't believe I cocked things up this badly.” A knock at the door interrupted the conversation. “Who could that be?”

Anthony headed to the front door, Kipps trailing behind him. When he opened it, a middle aged gentleman with dark skin and a dark leather jacket stood there.

“Hullo, sir. How can I help you?”

The man held up a police badge before speaking. “Inspector Montagu Barnes. I need to speak with Miss Lucy Carlyle.”