━━ CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE / mary dulac
episode eight, part one.

After they had jumped into the Thames, they managed to swim upshore but with the late October temperatures, Demi felt like she was quickly heading for frostbite. When they managed to drag themselves out of the water, Demi didn't want to move and as she shivered against the cold pebbled shores of the river. It was Lockwood that pulled her up. The trio were quiet as they walked to the main streets and then they managed to get a night cab. Nobody said anything.

Lockwood paid for the cab and they gave George the mirror and then they headed home to Portland Row. Nobody said anything. The silence was deafening between the three but Demi couldn't think about the now when she was thinking about her dad. He was alive, he was involved in something and she had no idea what. He was probably dead. She didn't know what to do.

She curled into Lockwood's side as they got another night cab and headed to Portland Row. He held her, rubbing her arm in an attempt to warm her up but it didn't do much. Her teeth were still chattering when they climbed out on the street corner near home. Demi got out first followed by Lockwood and then Lucy.

"I can't stand this anymore. One of you say something, please," Lockwood begged as the cab drove away once he'd paid. Lucy was already walking towards home but at his words, she came to a stop and turned on the pair that were still lingering on the street corner, "We won. We escaped Winkman. Barnes has got the mirror. We won. It's over," Lockwood ranted as he looked from Lucy to Demi before back to Lucy. Demi wrapped her arms around herself, trying to conserve as much body heat as she could.

"I don't have anything to say," Demi mumbled. She was still so cold and the October night air was really not helping. The sooner that she was in Portland Row, the better. Her teeth were still chattering, her arms did very little to warm her up.

"I can't believe you!" Lucy suddenly shouted. It seemed her anger had finally boiled over and Demi looked up, eyebrows furrowed. Demi hadn't expected so much anger but she didn't have the energy to fight it.

"What?" Lockwood responded, dumb-founded.

"You just can't help yourself, can you? You have to be the hero! You have to be the best, don't you? Every relic hunter in London is gonna be out to kill us and all you care about is winning! We haven't won anything," Lucy snapped, anger blazing in her eyes as she stepped closer to the pair. Her arms were wrapped around herself, dress dripping with water still. They were all soaked to the bone, make-up ruined.

"Yes, we have, we got the bone glass!" Lockwood argued and Lucy scoffed. She threw her hand out in annoyance. Her fringe was clinging to her forehead, barely dry after their late-night swim.

"No. You put our lives in danger. You put Demi's life in danger again!" Lucy shouted, pointing towards Demi with a rough gesture, "We could have left. We could have stopped that man being killed, we could have been fine! Don't you think you've hurt Demi enough? Look at her! We should have left!" The brunette's anger just seemed to grow as she glanced at Demi. The other girl's head was tilted down, arms wrapped around herself, shivering. The impact on the water had made her bruises hurt even more than before. But she was used to the pain now.

"She's fine," Lockwood said just as Demi said, "I'm fine." She had dealt with worse than this and she didn't want Lucy to be even more angry. She had decided to stay. It wasn't Lockwood's fault.

"You are both so full of it! You're not okay. You could have died and whoever that man was, your father I'm guessing? He is probably dead! But all he cares about is winning," Lucy snapped, meeting Demi's gaze. Demi's face crumpled at the mention of her father and she felt the tears begin to well in her eyes. Someone else saying it just made her feel so much worse. She wanted to throw up. But Lucy then turned her gaze back on Lockwood, "She has nearly died so many times and you just waltz around like everyone's invincible. We're not and what is winning if relic men are waiting at home just to kill us?" Lucy demanded. Demi didn't know what to say. There was nothing she could say to make this better.

"Don't shout at Demi. If you're gonna be mad at anyone, be mad at me," Lockwood snapped back as he met Lucy's gaze. Lucy laughed, actually laughed in his face.

"Oh don't worry! I am fucking furious with you," She raged as she stepped back from the pair, "You put all of us in danger. You put us all in harm's way and you let yourself nearly get killed just for the thrill. You're supposed to be our leader but it seems more like you want to die! How dare you be so fucking selfish!" Demi felt like curling up on herself. Lockwood looked hurt, it was written across his features even if he was usually better at hiding it. He didn't know what to say. He didn't know what he was supposed to say to any of them.

"I was getting the bone glass! I was doing our job!" He demanded, trying not to let the hurt make his words falter.

"But this isn't our job! It would have been just another thing that passed us by if you hadn't made that stupid bet with Kipps! Your pride got in the way again. This is not what we are supposed to be doing but you just had to be a hero, you just had to be the best." Demi wanted Lucy to stop. The anger on her face, the rage in her voice, all of it made her want to be sick. She hated arguing. She hated conflict. She hated this. This was her family and they were falling apart.

"Kipps would have messed up the job and you know it," Lockwood responded without even a second thought. Lucy shook her head, turning her head away momentarily before she let her gaze settle back onto Lockwood's face.

"No, I don't," She said, her voice nearly cracking, "Because I don't know anything about London but I know that you are selfish and this, this," Lucy gestured wildly between the sad, soaked trio, "isn't winning." With that, Lucy turned away and walked off, hiding the way tears began to fall down her cheeks. Demi just stood there for a moment, not sure what to do. She looked up at Lockwood and he finally drew his gaze away from Lucy, meeting her gaze.

"I want to get changed," Demi mumbled and Lockwood nodded. He took a hold of her hand, intertwining their fingers and headed towards Portland Row.

"Come on, let's get inside."

Demi drew her windows closed in her room as Lockwood went through her closet to find something comfortable for her. He knew she was cold. She was still shivering, covered in her dripping-wet white dress. He was still wet in his suit but he wanted to make sure that Demi was dry first. And so, when she walked over and asked him to unzip the dress, he did without hesitation.

"Can you pass me a towel?" Demi asked softly. Lockwood grabbed one from the shelves and passed it over to her before she let the dress drop into a sopping wet pile. The towel was wrapped around her waist in seconds and Lockwood grabbed her new clothes, placing them on the bed.

"I'm gonna go and get changed. I'll be back in a minute," Lockwood said after a beat of silence. Demi let out a hum in response and he disappeared out of the room. The silence that encapsulated the space made Demi want to sob. She didn't want to be alone right now. She wanted to be with Lockwood. It would help keep the demons lingering in her mind at bay.

She stared down at the rings on her hand and was quick to slip them off, putting them back into the iron-lined box. Her mother's rings. Her mum was dead and they belonged to her. Demi didn't even know what to think so instead, she changed into a fresh bra and underwear before slipping on the clothes that Lockwood had picked out.

By the time that she had sat down with her new clothes on, there was a knock at her door. Her head lifted up and Lockwood stuck his head in the small gap he had created - tentatively. She gave him a smile and patted the bed so that he would come and sit beside her. He dropped down onto the bed and she grabbed his arm, pulling it around her as she settled into his side.

"Was that really your dad?" Lockwood asked after a beat of silence. It had been the question on the tip of his tongue since they had jumped off the building.

"Yeah," She mumbled, her voice hoarse. Lockwood frowned and he pulled her into his side. He was dressed back in a fresh suit that didn't smell like Thames water and flares. The fresh smell of linen made her want to snuggle up in his lap. He let her, "My mum's-" Demi's voice cracked and she swallowed the lump in her throat, "He said my mum's dead." It felt so hard to say. It didn't even feel like she was saying it but she was and that was her reality. Her mum was dead.

"I'm sorry," Lockwood whispered softly as he wrapped her up in his arms. Demi nodded against his chest, holding onto him, "Do you know why he was there?" Demi shook her head and Lockwood frowned, resting his chin on top of the younger girl's hair.

"He's probably dead now too. He'll take his secrets to his grave," Demi managed to get out before the tears began to fall down her cheeks. It wasn't what she expected, what she wanted. Her dad had been alive. She had seen him and she had been so relieved but now he was gone. They were both gone and she was... an orphan. An orphan. Demi couldn't even fathom it.

"I'm so sorry," Lockwood said as he held onto her tighter. Demi let out a choked sob before she squeezed her eyes shut.

"I've been carrying my mum's Sources around all this time and I- I can't believe it," Demi let out between sobs. Lockwood tensed up at that confession and Demi knew she shouldn't have said anything. Those rings had been her secret but there was nothing that she could do now. He pressed a kiss to her head.

"I'm sorry," He repeated. She moved her arms to wrap around his neck and let the tears flow. Lockwood let her cry, holding her through it as she tried to come to terms with the new reality. Her dead family, all of it. It was too much and she missed them all so much.

After a while, Demi began to calm down and the two went to the bathroom to wash their faces. Demi did it first, cupping the water in her hands and scrubbing at her skin. She just hoped that it made her feel better but the smell of Thames water still clung to her. It was disgusting but she tried to ignore it as she sat on the edge of the bathtub, making room for Lockwood.

"How long have you had the rings for?" Lockwood asked as he ran the taps to be a little warmer. Demi stared down at her feet, not sure how to answer that question. It was not something that she really wanted to confess. She had been holding onto them when she should have told Lockwood earlier. They could have been dangerous.

"I got one of them at Winkman's when I disappeared on you and Lucy. I don't even remember picking it up but I must have," Demi explained as she ran her fingers through her hair, "The other one I got in the park a few weeks ago, I think. I can't really remember," She admitted. Lockwood cupped the water in his hand before he washed his face, washing the blood away from the nick on his forehead. He didn't say anything as he washed his face a second time, washing away some more blood and Thames water.

"Why didn't you tell me about them?" He asked after a beat of silence. Demi shrugged and lifted her gaze up to meet Lockwood's gaze through the mirror. He didn't look annoyed at her, just concerned.

"We had bigger things going on and I just wasn't really thinking," Demi shrugged. Lockwood nodded and then he turned around to face her, wiping the water droplets from his face. The two just looked at each other for a moment before he took a hold of her hands and pulled her to stand up. A smile tugged on her lips. It felt so nice to be close to him, "Tonight has been the worst and best night of my life," She admitted. He smiled back at her before he leant forward to rest his forehead against hers.

"I hope the good part was about us," He teased softly. She chuckled and leant forward, pressing a soft kiss to his lips.

"Yeah, it was," She mumbled. He then moved his hands from her hips to around her waist and he pulled her against him. She nuzzled her face in his chest, listening to the thump of his heartbeat. It was such a soothing sound.

"How's your back?" He asked. Demi hummed noncommittally in response. He sighed and rested his head against hers, pressing a kiss to her hair, "I'm sorry," He muttered. Demi sighed and pushed back from him.

"Don't apologise, it's okay," She insisted, "I'll call the GP in the morning." Lockwood nodded and she then pressed a soft kiss to his lips, hoping that would quell his worry, "For now, I'm gonna go and make some hot chocolate. Do you want one?" She asked. A smile tugged on the corner of Lockwood's lips at her question.

"I'll come and make some tea in a minute," He said. Demi nodded and she pressed a kiss to his cheek before she slipped out of his hold. The brunette then headed downstairs to the kitchen, ready to make the drink. But was surprised to find Lucy already there, making a cup of tea for herself. Demi stared for a moment but didn't know what to say. So, she simply walked around the brunette and grabbed a mug from the side.

"I'm sorry," Lucy said as Demi began to pour milk into her mug. Her eyebrows furrowed and she glanced over at Lucy, not entirely sure if she was talking to her, "I should haven't said it like that," She mumbled. Demi knew within seconds what she was referring to and Demi's lips tugged down into a frown. She shrugged.

"You're probably right. It's okay," She responded. Lucy shook her head as she walked over. Demi grabbed the teaspoon and began to drop spoonfuls of hot chocolate powder onto the milk so that she could put it in the microwave.

"I wasn't angry at you. I shouldn't have taken it out on you," Lucy apologised as she reached out to press her hand against Demi's wrist. Demi gently placed the spoon down on the side and she turned to face Lucy, abandoning the hot chocolate.

"You're right, you shouldn't have but that doesn't change the fact that I understand why you were angry. Lockwood put us in another dangerous situation and I know it's infuriating but arguing isn't gonna make it better. We just have to talk about it, as a team," Demi mumbled, barely meeting Lucy's gaze. The brunette frowned and she watched Demi fiddle with the sleeve of her jumper before Lucy let out a sigh. The guilt began to churn in her gut.

"I'm sorry," She mumbled. Demi smiled softly and then wrapped her arms around Lucy, hugging her tightly. Lucy hadn't expected it, the warmth of the hug was something that she hadn't felt for so long. It was soothing and Lucy rested her head against Demi's shoulder, "I'm just scared. I don't know what I'm doing," Lucy admitted. Demi nodded.

"I don't either but it's okay. As long as we're together, we're gonna be fine," She said reassuringly. Lucy nodded and then the two pulled away. Lucy added sugar to her tea while Demi crossed over to the microwave and put the hot chocolate in so that the milk would heat up.

As the two went back to their drinks, the kitchen door opened and Lockwood stepped inside. When Demi glanced back, he looked like a deer in the headlights. He hadn't expected Lucy to be there but he knew that he needed to apologise.

"I'm sorry," Lockwood said at the door. The microwave dinged as he paused and Demi opened it, getting her hot chocolate from inside, stirring it. She then put hot chocolate back in as Lockwood spoke again, "You were right. I got carried away on this job. I was thoughtless, reckless," Demi glanced back and watched as he approached Lucy who was standing just in front of the mugs, "And I put us all in danger. I shouldn't have done that." Lucy finally lifted her gaze up, taking a hold of two mugs and holding them up in front of her.

"London Bridge or Red bus mug?" Lucy asked as she watched Lockwood's eyes flicker between the two. Demi felt a smirk spread across her face as she watched him mentally debate.

"Red bus," He mumbled.

"Okay," Lucy said, placing the London Bridge mug right back onto the mug rack. The microwave dinged and Demi opened it up, grabbing her hot chocolate from inside. She stirred it as Lucy continued, "If George comes in and sees you using his mug, I'm not responsible for the consequences." Demi couldn't help but smile as she lifted the mug to her lips, taking a long sip. The hot chocolate is what she had been craving all day. It was nice to finally get it.

Lucy made Lockwood his mug of tea as he pulled out the Dulac book. He commented that he had read a bit of it over and that it didn't seem to make much sense. So, once Lucy had finished making Lockwood's tea, she took over reading it as they all sat around the table.

It was after a minute or so of reading that Demi suggested they have food. Lockwood requested egg and soldiers so as Demi boiled the eggs, Lockwood prepared the toast. It was as Lockwood grabbed the last round of toast that Lucy spoke up, no longer silently reading.

"Didn't you see this bit about Bickerstaff?" Lucy asked as she glanced up at the boy who was carrying the toast back over to the table. He grabbed the butter and a knife.

"What bit?" Demi asked as she cracked open the top of each egg before carrying them over to the table. She grabbed a strip of toast that Lockwood prepared and dipped it in before taking a bite.

"Listen, 'Yes, I killed him. Shot him with my father's pistol, sealed him with iron, buried him deep. Yet I still see him when I close my eyes, swathed in his velvet cloak, performing his rituals,'" Lucy read out. Lockwood's eyebrows furrowed at the new information as he grabbed a strip of toast and dipped it into his own egg.

"Mary Dulac killed Bickerstaff? Why?" Lockwood asked before taking a bite out of the strip of toast.

"I would if I was her," Demi mumbled as she dipped some more toast into the egg. Lockwood gave her a playful look and she merely smiled at him.

"'I shall claim an act of self-defence, his cunning servant trapped me. The doctor held the glass before me. One glimpse and I felt my sanity shake loose," Lucy continued to read out, her face falling the more she read. Lockwood glanced at Demi and then back to Lucy, finishing his bite of dippy egg before speaking.

"So, she shot him before he could kill her with the mirror?" He posed. Demi picked up another strip of toast, dipping it in.

"Why would he kill her with the mirror?" Demi asked as she tilted her head to the side. Lockwood shrugged in response and she put the toast in her mouth.

"Wait, there's more," Lucy said before she began to read on, "'For this looking glass was not a mirror at all. It was a window'," Demi's eyebrows furrowed.

"A window to where?" Lockwood asked quickly. The concern was evident in his features. It was quickly becoming clear that the bone-glass was not what any of them had expected. The bone-glass was more dangerous than they knew.

"'I dare not say any more and I have no one left to confide in. Since that glimpse, I am damned. All I want to see is more'," Lucy continued to read the page and those words made Demi's concern turn to anxiety in seconds. She dropped the piece of toast she was holding as she looked up at Lockwood.

"Wait, didn't George look into the mirror..." She asked, looking at the boy. Lockwood glanced at Lucy before he looked back at Demi.

"No, it can't," Lockwood began but Lucy pushing her mug away drew his attention and there was a spiral drawn on the table. A spiral that was identical to the illustration in the book. Lockwood then slowly pushed his mug to the side and sure enough there was a spiral underneath his. The trio then stood up, pushing the crockery off the table to see spirals across the entire thing. George had been drawing them compulsorily and that's why he'd been so weird when she came back from Winkman's. Something had happened, the mirror had affected him.

"Where the hell is George."